National Prawn Company succeed in breeding and production of sea cucumber

الإستزراع السمكي في السعودية
    Saudi Aquaculture

National Prawn Company (NPC) has increased its offering in the aquaculture sector by rearing sea cucumber to meet what it sees as the market’s huge demand for nutritional products.

After three years of research and development into aquaculture, the Saudi Arabian farming firm said the sea cucumber is an excellent example of its unique efforts in the county, for which it expects to grow 90 metric tons of it in the first year.

Engineer Ahmad R. Al-Ballaa, Managing Director of NPC and board chairman of Saudi Aquaculture Society, said: "We own the pride of achieving such a big project which is one of its kind in the region. It has consumed more than 3 years of constant researching and experimenting carried by a team of professionals in the field of aquaculture. Thanks God for this additional achievement added to our series of the like in this domain."

Seacucumber holothuria Scabra at NPC

He adds: "Our first steps and achievements on this long path were the ones towards a successful shrimp project which are followed by the fish projects that are getting thumbs up worldwide. An additional milestone in this journey in the Saudi land known for its fertile nature would be the Sea Cucumber brood stock's ability to lay its eggs, producing herewith 23 million larvae. This will ensure availability of a stock for coming years of wild mothers, which are belonging to the different strains that has been collected from different places in coasts of KSA".

In the same context, Manager of sea cucumber project, Mr. Mario Umundab said "Breeding Sea Cucumber in such high saline water and a very hot environment was never an easy task. Attentive monitoring on a daily basis for three consecutive years was a mandatory task that played a major role in guaranteeing its survival. It was a major reward for quite a hardworking and sacrificing team that has set a sustainable marine life development as one of its main goals.

Sea cucumber products are not known by Saudi society, in spite of its various medical and environmental benefits. It is not traded in the local market yet, and that is why the company is currently targeting the international markets with their increasing demand for sea cucumber, including China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore and much more.

As for its environmental benefit, an adult Sea Cucumber is capable of cleaning/purifying 4 tons of sand each year as whirling the sand to f ind  its daily supply of food is its natural way of hunting and survival, which in turn is the best way to purify the sand and facilitating its process of getting rid of organic residues. Its twirling and daily journey of food hunting maintains a balanced PH rate in seawater and plays a vital role in separating petroleum waste, gathering it in small dumplings that descend to the sea core.