Chapter 5 - Sea cucumbers research in the Persian Gulf

Abstract

Despite the growing numbers of studies focussing on sea cucumbers worldwide, Persian sea cucumbers have not received much attention. This chapter summarises the recent research conducted on Persian sea cucumbers of relevance to their aquaculture and nutritional and medicinal values. Sea cucumber aquaculture in the Persian Gulf is still in its infancy with the sea cucumbers Holothuria scabra and Holothuria leucospilota in trials. The review of sea cucumbers habitat illustrates how it influences the distribution of species. Studies showed that Persian sea cucumbers have high nutritional values and possess many unique biological activities, such as anti-microbial, anti-tumour, anti-viral and anti-oxidant. The section on the nutritional and medicinal values of sea cucumbers explores the benefits of the sea cucumbers in this region, which should be considered for effective utilisation and fisheries management. Furthermore, the nutritional composition of Persian sea cucumbers and their therapeutic effects might vary according to the sea cucumber species, extracted organ and extraction method.