International Journal of Marine Science, 2025, Vol.15, No.6, 320-328 http://www.aquapublisher.com/index.php/ijms 320 Feature Review Open Access Environmental Impact of Tropical Sea Cucumber Mariculture Practices Manman Li 1 , Liping Liu 2 1 Hainan Institute of Biotechnology, Haikou, 570206, Hainan, China 2 Tropical Marine Fisheries Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China Corresponding author: manman.li@hibio.org International Journal of Marine Science, 2025, Vol.15, No.6 doi: 10.5376/ijms.2025.15.0030 Received: 30 Oct., 2025 Accepted: 16 Dec., 2025 Published: 31 Dec., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Li and Liu, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Li M.M., and Liu L.P., 2025, Environmental impact of tropical sea cucumber mariculture practices, International Journal of Marine Science, 15(6): 320-328 (doi: 10.5376/ijms.2025.15.0030) Abstract In recent years, with the increase in market demand and the emergence of economic benefits, the tropical sea cucumber farming industry has developed rapidly. Sea cucumbers, as benthic animals, have the functions of biological disturbance and potential ecological purification. However, intensive and large-scale breeding have also brought about many environmental impact problems. This study aims to comprehensively assess the environmental impact of tropical sea cucumber farming practices, with a focus on analyzing the mechanisms and degrees of their effects on sediment conditions, water quality parameters, and ecosystem diversity. It also aims to summarize various farming models and management techniques, explore changes in biodiversity and ecological service functions, and present typical case studies of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the South China Sea. Research has found that sea cucumber farming at moderate density helps improve sediment quality and promote nutrient cycling. However, under poor management conditions, it is prone to cause local water eutrophication, imbalance in microbial community structure and decline in ecosystem stability. Multi-nutrient-level integrated aquaculture (IMTA) demonstrates a strong environmental adaptability. This research helps to deepen the understanding of the environmental impact of tropical sea cucumber farming and provides theoretical basis and practical reference for eco-friendly aquaculture policies and technologies. Keywords Tropical sea cucumber farming; Environmental impact assessment; Sediment ecology; Multi-nutrient-level integrated aquaculture (IMTA); Sustainable aquaculture 1 Introduction Sea cucumbers, these seemingly unremarkable mollusks, play a significant ecological role in tropical seas. Especially tropical sea cucumbers, which are classified in the class Holothuroidea and belong to benthic invertebrates, are not only numerous and widely distributed, but also involved in a whole set of ecological cycles, such as sediment migration, nutrient redistribution and organic matter degradation, etc. (Purcell et al., 2016). There are currently over 1,700 known tropical species. Among them, the most "viral" ones have to be the "star varieties" like Holothuria scabra and Stichopus monotuberculatus - not only because of their taste and nutrition, but also because they are very popular in the medicinal and health supplement markets, especially in Asia. It is regarded as a high-end ingredient and functional component (al-yaqout et al., 2021). However, the high market heat has also brought about side effects. The demand for dried sea cucumbers is on the rise. Coastal communities have indeed earned a decent income from fishing, but at the same time, wild resources are also running low. Overfishing has pushed many species to the brink of depletion. To relieve this pressure, tropical sea cucumber farming emerged, especially developing rapidly in the Indo-Pacific and coastal areas of Asia. Among them, China not only started early but is also very active in breeding technology. From hatching, seedling raising to adult cultivation, a relatively mature industrial chain has been formed. But things are not that simple. Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) has been highly regarded in recent years. To put it simply, it involves raising sea cucumbers together with other species. This approach can indeed make more full use of resources and has a relatively smaller environmental burden (Zamora et al., 2018; Ciriminna et al., 2024). The problem is that there have been no shortage of controversies surrounding this kind of intensive breeding, such as how to deal with the spread of diseases? How to control genetic pollution? Will the original habitat be changed. Once the scale becomes too large, are there any other ecological consequences that we haven't anticipated. These
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