🐠 🐠 🐠 🐟 🐟

🪸

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Holothuria scabra • Sandfish • Premium Species

Sea Cucumber Culture

Sustainable Aquaculture • Premium Quality • Global Markets

🔬

Lifecycle

8-18 months culture period

Larva → Juvenile → Adult

🌊

Habitat

Shallow coastal waters

0-20m depth 25-30°C

🍃

Feeding

Deposit feeder

Organic matter Sand processing

LIVE INDUSTRY DATA

Active Pens

Rs. 0B

Export Value

Families

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LIVE INDUSTRY METRICS

Sri Lankan Sea Cucumber Excellence 2024

NAQDA REALTIME DATA STREAM

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Active Grow-out Pens

486 hectares coverage

💎

Rs. 0B

2022 Export Revenue

⬆ Record High

📋

NAQDA Licenses

3,500+ pending

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Households

Direct employment

LIVE FEED:

🌊 Northern Province: 700 active pens • 🏭 NAQDA Hatchery: 1M juveniles/year capacity • 💰 Export Price: Rs. 700 per 350g specimen • 🇸🇬 Top Market: Singapore • 🎯 2025 Target: 8,000-10,000 MT • 🔬 H. scabra (Sandfish): Primary species • 📍 Jaffna Lagoon: 40,000 acres suitable area • 🌊 Northern Province: 700 active pens • 🏭 NAQDA Hatchery: 1M juveniles/year capacity

580 MT

Rs. 3.8B

800 Licenses

10,000 MT Target

🌊 OFFICIAL NAQDA/NARA DATA 2024

Industry Intelligence Dashboard

Real-time insights from NAQDA, NARA, Ministry of Fisheries & FAO

📈

Peak Production (2021)

580 MT

Wet weight basis

💰

2022 Export Value

Rs. 3.8B

418 MT exported

🎯

2025 Target

10,000 MT

NAQDA cluster program

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Export Price (2024)

$3-56/kg

Grade dependent

📊 NAQDA Licensing & Farm Distribution (2024)

License Statistics

Licenses Issued 800

Pending Applications 3,500+

Export Licenses 72

License Fee Rs. 3,500/acre

Farm Size Distribution

Small (≤0.4 ha) 86%

Medium (0.4-2 ha) 11%

Large (2-4 ha) 3%

Regional Concentration

Primary: Northern Province

• Jaffna: 40,000 acres suitable

• Mannar: NAQDA hatchery site

• Kilinochchi: Expanding region

Utilized: 1,000 of 40,000 acres (2.5%)

🏭 Hatchery Operations (2023-2024)

Government Hatcheries 1

NAQDA Oleithuduwai, Mannar

Private Hatcheries 2

Commercial operations

Production Capacity

• Annual: 1 million juveniles

• Stocking size: 10-15g optimal

• Culture period: 8-18 months

• Harvest weight: 350-800g avg

🌍 Export Markets & Economics

🇸🇬 Singapore

Primary

🇨🇳 China

Major

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

Growing

🇹🇼 Taiwan

Emerging

Economic Performance

• Farm Revenue: Rs. 2.5M/acre/year

• Setup Cost: Rs. 300,000/acre

• Domestic Price: Rs. 300-1,700/piece

🚀 NAQDA Development Programs (2023-2024)

Sea Ranching Program

10,000 juveniles released for stock replenishment in 2024

Technology Transfer

IVF techniques introduced with FAO collaboration

Cluster Farming

"Sea cucumber villages" concept for 2,023 ha expansion

Vision 2025: Achieve 8,000-10,000 MT production through cluster-based farming, positioning Sri Lanka as a leading sustainable sea cucumber producer in Asia with enhanced hatchery capacity and community-based management systems.

🐚 Primary Species

• H. scabra (Sandfish) - Main
• Tiger Tail - Secondary
• Prickly Redfish - Wild
• Lagoon Sea Cucumber - Local

⚠️ Current Challenges

• Poaching & security issues
• Illegal wild collection
• Insufficient hatchery supply
• Weather & salinity risks

✅ Success Factors

• First breeding success (2011)
• IVF technology (2023)
• FAO collaboration
• Growing export demand

Data Sources: NAQDA Annual Reports 2023-2024 | NARA Research Publications | Ministry of Fisheries Statistics | FAO Technical Reports | SPC Beche-de-mer Bulletin 2024

Last Updated: January 2025 | Note: Sea cucumber statistics are not systematically reported in annual fisheries statistics