It breathes through its anus, can liquefy its body and acts as the waste collectors of the seabed. Scientists now believe that a species of sea cucumber living off the British coast could become a lucrative culinary export.
A project will begin this year to see whether it is possible to harvest commercial quantities of sea cucumbers – which are animals not plants – from beneath fish farms where the seabed is laden with the organic detritus.
Experts believe it may be possible to clean up the sea floor below the fish farms by cultivating vast "herds" of sea cucumbers while at the same time producing a valuable culinary delicacy that is highly prized in China and the Far East.
Matt Slater, a New Zealander at Newcastle University, has been brought into oversee a research project that will investigate the possibility of setting up the first commercial sea cucumber farm in Britain with the long-term aim of exporting the animals to China.
"By growing sea cucumbers on waste from fish farms we are not only giving the wild sea cucumber populations a chance to recover, we are also developing solutions to fish-farming impacts," Dr Slater said.
"China produces about 90,000 tons of sea cucumbers using similar methods and so it is proven as an effective system as long as the species being farmed for the local environment," he said.
Sea cucumbers behave rather like terrestrial earthworms by crawling slowly around the seabed consuming any organic detritus in their path. In nature they provide a valuable service in waste recycling.
Source: http://www.gcyouth.net/NewsDetails.php?articleId=22630
New Words:
ReplyDelete1. seabed (n)
Meaning: The ground under the sea; the ocean floor
Example: There are various marine resources in the seabed.
2.culinary (adj)
Meaning: Connected with cooking or food
Example: Her culinary skills were excellent.
3. detritus (n)
Meaning: natural waste material that is left after something has been used or broken up
Example: Pieces of people's homes, furniture, and toys could be seen in the detritus of the landslide.
4. herds (n)
Meaning: a group of animals of one kind which live and feed together
Example: Don't just follow the herd - do what you really want to!
5. terrestrial (adj)
Meaning: Of or relating to the earth or its inhabitants or of, relating to, or composed of land
Exmaple: Amid all this up close and personal planet smooching, an anniversary of extraordinary terrestrial significance has been completely overlooked
Summary:
ReplyDeleteA project will begin this year to see whether it is possible to harvest commercial quantities of sea cucumbers. Matt Slater, from Newcastle University, has been brought into oversee a research project that will investigate the possibility of setting up the first commercial sea cucumber farm in Britain with the long-term aim of exporting the animals to China. Scientists believe that sea cucumbers living off the British coast could become a lucrative culinary export.