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Length–Weight and Body Condition Relationships of the Exploited Sea Cucumber Pearsonothuria graeffei
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Length–Weight and Body Condition Relationships of the Exploited Sea Cucumber Pearsonothuria graeffei

Alison R. Hammond and Steven W Purcell
Journal of marine science and engineering, Vol.12(3), 371
22/02/2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12030371
Appears in  Recent Faculty of Science and Engineering Publications
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Abstract

body condition echinoderm growth equation holothurian length-weight morphometric analysis
Fishery stock assessments are often based on morphometric data from underwater diver surveys and landing surveys. Measurements of body length are usually converted to estimates of body weight, yet length–weight equations might differ among localities. We evaluated morphometric models for the sea cucumber, Pearsonothuria graeffei, collected at Lizard Island on the northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia, and explored differences in relative condition factor (Kn) across animal sizes. The estimation of body weight was compared among relationships with four different body size metrics: observed body length, SLW (square root of the body length–width product), recalculated body length (Le) from SLW, and body basal area. The basal area of the animals, the SLW index and Le provided more reliable estimations for body weight than using body length alone yet accounted for half of the variation in body weight. The length–weight relationship from animals at Lizard Island differed considerably from relationships published for the same species in New Caledonia and Philippines. Body condition was variable, and our model predicted a peak at 35 cm body length. Body metrics such as basal area, SLW index, and Le could offer more precise models for estimating the body weight of sea cucumbers for fishery purposes. Equations for estimating body weight from length and width of the sea cucumbers should be based on locality-specific data because morphometric relationships are spatially variable.

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