Overharvesting of sea cucumber species can now be considered a worldwide phenomenon, and artificial
breeding and aquaculture practices are possible alternative sources of sea cucumbers for coastal fishing
communities. Induced spawning of Holothuria scabra, Pseudocolochirus violaceus and Colochirus quadrangularis
was achieved for the first time in Sri Lanka in late 2011. Wild broodstocks of these species were collected and
induced through the application of several methods. Thermal stimulation (ambient temperature ± 3–5°C)
was found to be the most successful method for spawning initiation of H. scabra whilst addition of microalgae
was more effective for P. violaceus. Spawning of C. quadrangularis was initiated through transportation
stress. Larval development stages of these three species were very similar, but juvenile growth was much
higher in H. scabra than in the other two species. H. scabra juveniles with an average weight of 11 ± 4 g
were transferred to a lagoon pen and they attained an average weight of 207 ± 56 g within a period of four
months. The observed average growth rate was 1.7 g day-1 and there was 89% survival after four months.
Juveniles of P. violaceus and C. quadrangularis, however, took more than two months to attain an average
length of 5–8 mm.
Key words: Holothuria scabra, Pseudocolochirus violaceus, Colochirus quadrangularis, induced spawning, larval