Could the Humble Sea Cucumber Save Our Seas?

It may look like an over-grown slug, but scientists at Newcastle University believe the sea cucumber could play a vital role in the fight to save our seas -- and become an unusual addition to British gourmet food. Not only is this salty Asian delicacy a rich source of nutrients, it is also an important part of the marine ecosystem. Much like worms working soil in a garden, sea cucumbers are responsible for cleaning up the sea bed -- moving, consuming and mixing marine sediments.

Dr Matthew Slater, an expert in sea cucumbers and part of Professor Stead's team, said the aim was to investigate the sea cucumber's potential as a natural, organic cleaner on fish farms around the world -- including the UK -- as well as a source of food.

"By growing sea cucumbers on waste from fish farms we are not only farming a valuable food product and giving the wild sea cucumber populations a chance to recover, we are also developing solutions to fish farming impacts."

More information:

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/press.office/press.release/item/could-the-humble-sea-cucumber-save-our-seas