• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.11.1-11.11
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• 2020

We tried to find the optimal growth conditions of sea cucumber and to analyze the economic effectiveness of the sea cucumber seedling release project in Korea. We first examined the optimal growth conditions of sea cucumber in the relating literatures. Then, we analyzed the economic effectiveness of the sea cucumber seedling release project of the Woncheon fishing village union of Gyeongnam Province in 2016-2018 by using the cost benefit analysis method. The net income of the release project of the Woncheon fishing village union was 69,850 Korean won. The benefit to cost ratio of the sea cucumber seedling release project of the Woncheon fishing village union was estimated to be 1.7, indicating that the project was economically feasible. In order to improve the economic feasibility of the sea cucumber release project, as we see in the case of the Woncheon fishing village union, it is necessary to manage the purchase of the sea cucumber seedling, to improve the recapture rate of sea cucumber, and to manage marketing of sea cucumber.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.796-800
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• 2014

A feeding trial was conducted to investigate the growth and body composition of juvenile sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus in integrated culture with abalone Haliotis discus hannai or rockfish Sebastes schlegeli. Triplicate groups of sea cucumber averaging $1.2{\pm}0.05g$ were cultured alone or with abalone or rockfish for 12 weeks. Survival of sea cucumber was not affected by co-culturing (P>0.05). Weight gain of sea cucumber cultured with rockfish was significantly higher than that of sea cucumber cultured alone (P<0.05), and did not differ from that of those cultured with abalone (P>0.05). These findings indicate that co-culturing sea cucumber with rockfish effectively improves the growth of sea cucumber.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.127-132
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• 2010

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary lipid sources on the growth and fatty acid composition of juvenile sea cucumber. For 12 weeks, three replicate groups of sea cucumber (average weight 1.4 g) were fed one of three diets, containing squid liver oil (SLO), soybean oil (SO), or linseed oil (LO) as a dietary lipid source, or a control diet (CON) without added lipids. Sea cucumber survival was not significantly different among dietary treatments (P>0.05). The highest weight gain was observed in sea cucumber fed the SLO diet, whereas the weight gain of sea cucumber fed the SO diet was the lowest among dietary treatments (P<0.05). No significant differences were found in the moisture, crude protein, crude lipid, and ash contents of whole sea cucumber body among dietary treatments (P>0.05). Concentrations of 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 were significantly higher in sea cucumber fed the SLO diet than in those fed on the other diets. The highest 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3 contents were observed in sea cucumber fed the SO and LO diets, respectively. The results of this study suggest that squid liver oil could be used as a good lipid source in formulated diets for juvenile sea cucumber.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.343-350
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• 2016

The sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus is a commercially valuable aquaculture species in Korea. Aquaculture species require specific nursery culture conditions to increase survival and growth rates. Sea cucumbers hibernate during the high temperatures of summer and during the low temperatures of winter, and suboptimal temperature conditions decrease sea cucumber growth and survival rates. The natural South Korean environment is very unfavorable for culturing sea cucumber; therefore, developing a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) capable of breeding and growing sea cucumber year-round is necessary. The aim of this study was to investigate growth performance of juvenile sea cucumber in a RAS. Growth and survival rates of juvenile sea cucumber were high during our 24-week experiment. Sea cucumber survival rates were 87.8-93.3%, and specific growth rates were 0.4689-0.7846.

• The Journal of Fisheries Business Administration
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.81-90
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• 2013

This study is aimed to analyze economic effectiveness of the sea cucumber seed releasing program in Gyeongsangbuk-do region. Based on the surveyed data, the production value of released sea cucumber and the seed releasing program cost are estimated and compared to determine the economic validity of the sea cucumber seed releasing program. Results show that the B/C ratio, as an indicator of economic evaluation, is 2.0, indicating that the sea cucumber seed releasing program in Gyeongsangbuk-do region would be economically feasible under the current production and market conditions. Sensitivity analyses of main variables indicate that the economic effectiveness can be increased when the recapture rate would be increased and the seed price of sea cucumber would be decreased.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.28.1-28.17
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• 2017

Members of the phylum Echinodermata, commonly known as echinoderms, are exclusively marine invertebrates. Among the Echinodermata, sea cucumber belongs to the family Holothuroidea. The sea cucumber Stichopus (Apostichous) japonicus (Selenka) is an invertebrate animal inhabiting the coastal sea around Korean, Japan, China, and Russia. Sea cucumber has a significant commercial value, because it contains valuable nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. They possess a number of distinctive biologically and pharmacologically important compounds. In particular, the body wall of sea cucumber is a major edible part. It consists of peptide, collagen, gelatin, polysaccharide, and saponin, which possess several biological activities such as anti-cancer, anti-coagulation, anti-oxidation, and anti-osteoclastogenesis. Furthermore, the regenerative capacity of sea cucumber makes it a medically important organism. This review presents the various biological activities and biomedical potential of sea cucumber S. japonicus.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.10
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• pp.1753-1762
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• 2017

Sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus) is a popular seafood source in Asia, including South Korea, and its consumption has recently increased with recognition of its medicinal properties. However, because raw sea cucumber contains various microbes, its ingestion can cause foodborne illness. Therefore, analysis of the microbiota in the whole body of sea cucumber can extend our understanding of foodborne illness caused by microorganisms and help to better manage products. We collected 40 sea cucumbers from four different sites in August and November, which are known as the maximum production areas in Korea. The microbiota was analyzed by an Illumina MiSeq system, and bacterial amounts were quantified by real-time PCR. The diversity and bacterial amounts in sea cucumber were higher in August than in November. Alpha-, Beta-, and Gammaproteobacteria were common dominant classes in all samples. However, the microbiota composition differed according to sampling time and site. Staphylococcus warneri and Propionibacterium acnes were commonly detected potential pathogens in August and November samples, respectively. The effect of experimental Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection on the indigenous microbiota of sea cucumber was analyzed at different temperatures, revealing clear alterations of Psychrobacter and Moraxella; thus, these shifts can be used as indicators for monitoring infection of sea cucumber. Although further studies are needed to clarify and understand the virulence and mechanisms of the identified pathogens of sea cucumber, our study provides a valuable reference for determining the potential of foodborne illness caused by sea cucumber ingestion and to develop monitoring strategies of products using microbiota information.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.785-789
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• 2014

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of feeding by different feed types (powder, crumble and pellet) of two different feed formulations with simple dried (D) or extruded (E) conditions on growth and body composition of juvenile sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus. Triplicate groups of sea cucumber averaging $1.2{\pm}0.05g$ were fed each of the D1, D2, EP1 or EP2 diets for 12 weeks. Survival of sea cucumber fed D2-crumble was higher than that fed EP2-crumble diet (P<0.05). Weight gain of sea cucumber fed EP1-powder was higher than that fed EP1-crumble and EP2-crumble diets (P<0.05). These findings indicated that simple dried feed could use independently feed type for sea cucumber culture and powder type of extruded feed is also good for sea cucumber culture.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.113-124
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• 2019

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of sea cucumber extract on skin as a natural cosmetics functional material. Subjective evaluation of cosmetics before and after were conducted with questionnaires regarding moisture content, sebum content, melanin index, and erythema index. Experiments were conducted on improvement efficacy using skin clinical trials and questionnaires to evaluate changes in perception of skin condition and efficiency of products. With the aim of minimizing skin irritation, the efficiency of the solvent used for extraction was an important factor, and the sea cucumber extract was harvested with efficient extraction conditions at a ratio of 1:10 of 50% ethanol. The study aimed to identify the suitability of sea cucumber extract as a functional cosmetics material to improve the moisturizing ability of skin and its effect on the skin by adding marine natural animal sea cucumber extract. Clinical studies on cosmetics skin containing sea cucumber extract, excellent skin improvement effect from all items of clinical experiment in experimental and control groups. Sea cucumber extract was proved to be a stable, non-adverse physiologically active substance against abnormal symptoms or side effects of skin reactions and skin problems. In addition, the study found excellent results that can lead to its use as a cosmetics material. This is expected to contribute to the development of various cosmetics industries.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.24.1-24.8
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• 2017

The experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different algae in diet on growth, survival, and interleukin-10 productions of sea cucumber. At first, a 9-week feeding trail was conducted to evaluate the growth performance and survival of the sea cucumber fed one of the six experimental diets containing ST (Sargassum thunbergii), UL (Ulva lactuca), UP (Undaria pinnatifida), LJ (Laminaria japonica), SS (Schizochytrium sp.), and NO (Nannochloropsis oculata) in a recirculating aquaculture system. The result showed that survival was not significantly different among the dietary treatments, and the specific growth rate (SGR) of sea cucumber fed the UL diet ($1.58%d^{-1}$) was significantly higher than that of sea cucumber fed the other diets (P < 0.05), except for the LJ and NO diets. Secondly, interleukin (IL)-10 gene expression was determined where mice splenocytes were stimulated with $10{\mu}g\;ml^{-1}$ of sea cucumber extracts for 2 h. The result showed that IL-10 gene expression levels were significantly increased in UL, LJ, and NO diets fed sea cucumber extracts compared to other experimental diets. The results suggest that dietary inclusion with Ulva lactuca, Laminaria japonica, and Nannochloropsis oculata algae may improve the growth of juvenile sea cucumber and could upregulate IL-10 gene expression in mice splenocytes. Such detailed information could be helpful in further development of more appropriate diets for sea cucumber culture.