Diversifying sea cucumber aquaculture in the Caribbean : The promising example of Holothuria floridana in Panama, Mexico, and Belize

Felaco, L., Rogers, A., Olvera-Novoa, M. A., Beer, J., & Grossman, D.

In A. Mercier, J.-F. Hamel, A. Suhrbier, & C. Pearce (Eds.), 
The World of Sea Cucumbers (pp. 631–640). Academic Press.

https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-95377-1.00008-4

Abstract
Holothuria floridana is the second most commercialized holothuroid in the tropical western Atlantic Ocean after Isostichopus badionotus. Its market value is, on average, one-quarter to one-third that of I. badionotus. For this reason, its aquaculture potential has been largely overlooked, although the species suffers from similar fisheries and ecological issues as other holothuroids. Here, we provide a general overview of the recent advances in the aquaculture of H. floridana through a historical and regional lens, focusing on the first and only large-scale hatchery in the Caribbean, Panama-based PanaSea, comparing it with other efforts in Mexico and Belize and discussing its economic, societal, ecological, and general sustainability potential.