The project help to support costal community utilize the available marine water resource to bring development to coastal communities. According to FAO Tanzania’s report, Aquaculture in the United Republic of Tanzania has a vast but as yet untapped potential. The United Republic of Tanzania has a good potential for development of mariculture. The United Republic of Tanzania. Tanzania Coastline is 1,424 kilometers (885 miles) with territorial sea limits of 22 kilometers (12 nautical miles). The country is well endowed with both marine and inland fishery resources. The marine waters comprise 64 000 km2 as territorial waters and 223 000 km2 as offshore waters (EEZ) (MNRT, 1997). The length of coastline, including Zanzibar and Pemba islands, stretches along approximately 1 424 km of the Indian Ocean.
Why culture Sea Cucumber?
Sea cucumbers are highly valued marine commodities, with prices reaching up to US$ 2,000 per kilo, when processed and dried into trepang or beche-de-mer. A great majority of traded sea cucumbers comes from wild harvest causing severe decline in stocks. Sea cucumber mariculture using hatchery-bred juveniles can offer an alternative income source especially for coastal communities, while protecting the remaining wild populations.
What is Sandfish?
Sandfish is the common English name for one particular tropical species of sea cucumber called Holothuria scabra. It is one of the most threatened tropical species because of its high price and ease in collection. It is typically found in shallow intertidal sandy-muddy shores, commonly associated with seagrass beds and sand flats. Sandfish has one of the highest potential for aquaculture because hatchery production technology of this species is established. L4T is leading institutions to establish and develop the production technologies for sandfish.
Sea cucumber is a premium product with large popularity in China, the largest producer of this seafood and its related products. The Chinese sea cucumber farming industry showed an overall stable trend in 2017. Farm-gate prices have continued an upward trend in the past two years. Production volumes and stocked amounts have also increased significantly.
