Main diseases of cultured Apostichopus japonicus: prevention and treatment
养殖海参主要疾病及防治技术

Sea cucumber farming has been developed rapidly along the northern coast of China since the beginning of 21th century. It was estimated that the total culture area of sea cucumber has reached 33000 ha and the gross annual value has exceeded RMB 10 billion. The rapid expansion of sea cucumber farming has led to occurrence of various diseases, causing serious economic losses and becoming one of the limiting factors in the sustainable development of this industry. The authors carried out epidemiological study on the diseases of cultured sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus; several diseases were reported for the first time, including ulcerated margin, ulcerated stomach, and autolysis of juveniles, in nursery stage. Among them the skin ulceration disease was the major one in out-door cultivation. Several types of pathogens were recognized, including bacteria, fungi and parasites, raptors and competi- tors could also result the disease. Treatment and preventative measures for these diseases were also proposed.