Grant: Engage Grants Program

Sea cucumber is an emerging but growing industry in Atlantic Canada that has yet to reach its full potential.Unlike most sea cucumbers exploited elsewhere in the world, which are hand-caught, manually processed anddestined to luxury seafood markets, sea cucumbers in Atlantic Canada (Cucumaria frondosa) are trawled,mechanically processed and typically generate low to moderate returns. Moreover, no standards exist at presentfor handling, transporting and holding the raw material to obtain standardized commercial products. Quin SeaFisheries is a prominent seafood processor based in Newfoundland & Labrador that seeks to optimize its seacucumber branch by drawing on the expertise of the Mercier Lab in the biology and conservation of seacucumbers. The objectives of the proposed project are to (1) address the challenges currently experienced byQuin Sea Fisheries in standardizing the aspect of sea cucumbers that enter the processing chain; and (2)experiment with various handling techniques that might enhance the end products or warrant future R&D. Thelong-term aim is to develop optimal techniques for holding and handling sea cucumbers to increase the value ofthe commercial end-products and their competitiveness on the markets, and ultimately maximize the associatedreturns. This project will also constitute the first phase in developing a series of best practices for sea cucumberexploitation that should benefit all Canadian stakeholders involved and help grow this promising industry in asustainable way.