Abstract:
Economically and ecologically important ecosystems that consist of diverse finfish and
shellfish resources are found along the southern coast of Sri Lanka. Thus, the current
study intends to assess the species diversity, length-weight (L-W) relationships, and
condition factor of sea cucumber stocks in selected coastal sites of southern Sri Lanka.
The diversity of sea cucumber species was surveyed using the systematic sampling
technique in three selected sites (Bandaramulla, Mirissa, and Weligama) during
February-December 2019. The growth pattern of each species was identified using a
least-squares regression model computed for length-weight relationships. Fulton’s
condition factor (K) was analyzed for each species. There were four common sea
cucumber species (Holothuria atra - Lolly Fish, Bohadschia marmorata - White Thread
fish, Actinipyga miliaris- Deep Water Blackfish, and Thelenota ananas- Prickly Redfish)
in study sites, with Holothuria atra and Bohadschia marmorata were recorded as the
most abundant species. The length-weight relationship derived for the above four
species exhibited a negative allometric growth pattern (“b” < “3”), indicating faster
length increment compared to weight. The habitat qualities of all sea cucumber
species were in optimum environmental condition. Our findings would benefit as
baseline data for implementing sustainable management practices of sea cucumber
resources.
