The suspended culture below fish cages is effective in growing
juveniles at high survival rate before release for stock enhancement.
In Japan, stock enhancement by releasing juveniles produced in
hatcheries has been conducted as a means of restoring depleted
A. japonicus populations and potentially increasing the size of stocks
which are recruitment limited. At the time of release, large-sized
juveniles have a better survival rate (Purcell and Simutoga, 2008;
Tanaka, 2000). Before the release of A. japonicus juveniles, it is possible
to grow newly-settled individuals in suspended cages to large sizes
without the addition of diet. Co-culture of sea cucumbers with fish
could provide an inexpensive way for growing large numbers of juveniles
to larger sizes prior to release.