---
title: "What the sources say about the Sandfish Sea Cucumber | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "38 claims from the Sandfish Sea Cucumber profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Sandfish Sea Cucumber (*Holothuria scabra*)

> 38 claims from the Sandfish Sea Cucumber profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Sandfish Sea Cucumber](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/sandfish-sea-cucumber/)

## Purcell, Hamel & Mercier (2026). Holothuria scabra. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2026: e.T180257A272668462.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2026-1.rlts.t180257a272668462.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Vulnerable | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). (note: stats.conservationStatus; GBIF copy of the 2025 assessment; GBIF check goes here, the page quoted is the cached category text) |
| The IUCN Red List lists it as Vulnerable. | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). (note: Category from GBIF's copy; assessment year dropped, the quote does not state it) |

## Lee et al. (2018). Effects of sandfish (Holothuria scabra) removal on shallow-water sediments in Fiji. PeerJ.

https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4773

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A sediment-swallowing sea cucumber that is one of the highest-valued species in the bêche-de-mer trade. | Sandfish, Holothuria scabra ( Jaeger, 1833 ), is one of the highest valued species in the bêche-de-mer trade (note: tagline; 'sediment-swallowing' is the ingests claim below) |
| sediment-swallowing | ingests a considerable amount of sediment during feeding (note: tagline) |
| Shallow soft-bottom habitats, generally behind fringing reefs and in protected bays, across the Indo-Pacific | they generally inhabit low energy environments behind fringing reefs or within protected bays and shores (note: stats.habitat, first part) |
| Sediment, swallowed as it feeds | ingests a considerable amount of sediment during feeding (note: stats.diet; species-scoped (was 'Sea cucumbers actively feed on OM', a group statement)) |
| Turns sea floor sediment into about 26 pellets an hour | On average each animal produced 26 sediment pellets h −1 ± 2 (note: stats.superpower) |
| The sandfish, Holothuria scabra, is a sea cucumber that ingests a considerable amount of sediment while it feeds. | ingests a considerable amount of sediment during feeding |
| each animal produced an average of 26 sediment pellets an hour, and each pellet weighed about 0.36 g | On average each animal produced 26 sediment pellets h −1 ± 2, which had a mass of 0.36 g ± 0.01. |
| The sandfish there fed for about 10 hours a day, in daylight, and sat inactive for the other 14. | individuals of this species actively fed for 10 h day −1 during daylight hours (0600–1800 h) and were inactive for 14 h day −1 |
| At low tide they generally stayed buried. | H. scabra at the site generally remained buried during low tide |
| the researchers estimated the local population could rework the top 5 mm of sediment about two and a half times a year | the estimated population of H. scabra in 1,000 m 2 has the potential to rework the upper 5 mm of sediment approximately two and a half times a year |
| the most common length was about 15 cm, which works out to about 200 g | H. scabra of length ca . 15 cm, which equates to ca . 200 g ind −1 , as this was the most common length of H. scabra in the general area (note: 'general area where enclosures were situated' = the Fiji study area) |
| They generally live in low-energy environments behind fringing reefs or in protected bays and shores. | they generally inhabit low energy environments behind fringing reefs or within protected bays and shores |
| In Fiji, the depth oxygen reached into the sediment fell by 63% after a 6 °C rise in water temperature over two months in pens with no sandfish. In pens with high sandfish densities, no such change was observed. | In the exclusion treatment, the O 2 penetration depth decreased by 63% following a 6 °C increase in water temperature over the course of two months, while in the high treatment no such change was observed. |
| Sandfish are one of the highest-valued species in the bêche-de-mer trade. | Sandfish, Holothuria scabra ( Jaeger, 1833 ), is one of the highest valued species in the bêche-de-mer trade |
| In a Fiji sample of 27 sandfish between 8 and 16 cm long, the average was 13 cm and 145 g. | H. scabra between lengths of 8–16 cm ( n = 27, mean length = 13 cm ± 0.22 SE; mean mass = 145 g ± 6.27 SE) |
| That size class was the most abundant across the reef flat. | as they represent the most abundant size class across the entire reef flat |
| In Fiji enclosures with no sandfish, sedimentary oxygen consumption, a measure of how much oxygen the sediment's community uses, rose about two-fold in the first month. | SOC rates increased ca . two-fold in the exclusion treatment within the first month (note: SOC = sedimentary oxygen consumption (abstract); 'reflects the respiration of the entire sedimentary community contained in a core') |
| fell by 63% after a 6 °C rise in water temperature over two months in pens with no sandfish | In the exclusion treatment, the O 2 penetration depth decreased by 63% following a 6 °C increase in water temperature over the course of two months |
| A sandfish works the sea floor at a steady pace, about 26 sediment pellets an hour through 10 hours of daylight feeding. | On average each animal produced 26 sediment pellets h −1 ± 2, which had a mass of 0.36 g ± 0.01. ... individuals of this species actively fed for 10 h day −1 during daylight hours (0600–1800 h) and were inactive for 14 h day −1 (note: vibe.reason; reuses the body claim) |

## Global knowledge on the commercial sea cucumber Holothuria scabra. Advances in Marine Biology, 2022.

https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.amb.2022.04.001

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Shallow soft-bottom habitats | widely distributed and historically abundant in several shallow soft-bottom habitats throughout the Indo-Pacific (note: stats.habitat) |
| across the Indo-Pacific | widely distributed and historically abundant in several shallow soft-bottom habitats throughout the Indo-Pacific (note: stats.habitat) |
| Sandfish are widely distributed across the Indo-Pacific, in shallow soft-bottom habitats. | widely distributed and historically abundant in several shallow soft-bottom habitats throughout the Indo-Pacific |
| A 2022 review reports declines in wild stocks over the entire distribution range. | further declines in wild stocks over the entire distribution range (note: 2022 is the review's publication year) |
| calls it the only tropical sea cucumber that can currently be mass-produced in hatcheries | it is the only tropical holothuroid species that can currently be mass-produced in hatcheries (note: 2022 is the reference's year (Advances in Marine Biology, 2022)) |
| A 2022 review of more than 950 publications | This review compiles data from over 950 publications (note: 2022 is the review's publication year) |

## Wolkenhauer et al. (2009). The ecological role of Holothuria scabra (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) within subtropical seagrass beds. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.

https://doi.org/10.1017/s0025315409990518

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Sandfish are closely associated with seagrass beds. | a commercially valuable tropical species closely associated with seagrass beds |
| seagrass grew 5% less in one year and 12% less in the next where the sandfish were kept out | Seagrass growth was lower when holothurians were excluded (5% in 2003, 12% in 2004). |
| In two caging experiments | two exclusion experiments conducted using in situ cages deployed for two months both in 2003 and 2004 |

## Dabbagh et al. (2012). Holothuria scabra (Holothuroidea: Aspidochirotida): first record of a highly valued sea cucumber, in the Persian Gulf, Iran. Marine Biodiversity Records.

https://doi.org/10.1017/s1755267212000620

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A 2012 paper reported some specimens collected by snorkellers at a depth of 5 m at Qeshm Island, the first record of the species in the Persian Gulf. | Some specimens of the sea cucumber were collected by snorkellers diving at depth of 5 m at Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf. ... This report is the first to document the highly valued commercial sea cucumber in the Persian Gulf region. (note: 2012 is the paper's publication year (Marine Biodiversity Records, August 2012), not the collection date) |
| The same 2012 paper called it the most exploited sea cucumber species in Iran. | In Iran, the sandfish, Holothuria scabra is the most exploited sea cucumber species (note: dated to the paper (2012) rather than stated as a current state) |

## Mercier, Battaglene & Hamel (2000). Settlement preferences and early migration of the tropical sea cucumber Holothuria scabra. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology.

https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-0981(00)00187-8

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| In laboratory trials, newly settled juveniles stayed on seagrass leaves for 4 to 5 weeks, then migrated to sand at around 6 mm long. | Settlement and post-settlement processes of the sea cucumber Holothuria scabra Jaeger were studied in the laboratory. ... Newly settled juveniles remained on the seagrass leaves for 4-5 weeks before migrating to sand at around 6 mm in length. |

## Purcell (2014). Value, market preferences and trade of beche-de-mer from Pacific Island sea cucumbers. PLoS ONE.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0095075

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Bêche-de-mer is sea cucumber that has been gutted, cooked, salted and dried. | Beche-de-mer, the product after gutting, cooking, salting and drying sea cucumbers |
| A 2014 study found sandfish and golden sandfish to be the most valuable tropical sea cucumbers in dried seafood markets in China | This study affirms that sandfish H. scabra and golden sandfish H. lessoni are the most valuable tropical sea cucumbers in dried seafood markets in China. (note: 2014 is the paper's publication year (PLoS ONE, 2014)) |
| one Hong Kong store selling very large sandfish for US$1,668 a kilogram | The most expensive product was very large sandfish ( Holothuria scabra ) in one store in Hong Kong, selling for US$1,668 kg −1 (note: US$1,668 kg-1 as printed) |

## Becker et al. (2004). The skin ulceration disease in cultivated juveniles of Holothuria scabra (Holothuroidea, Echinodermata). Aquaculture.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2003.11.018

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| In a Madagascar hatchery, buried juveniles exposed their posterior end to breathe. | when they are buried, expose their posterior end to breathe (note: breathing behaviour of hatchery juveniles; setting is the next claim) |
| In a Madagascar hatchery | juvenile Holothuria scabra, the widely marketed edible sea cucumber, reared in the Aqua-Lab hatchery of Toliara, Madagascar |