Towards optimal handling and processing of sea cucumber in eastern Canada Reference Number: For NSERC office use only NSERC PIN: 145624 Date Approved by RGO: 2017/03/22 16:31 NSERC PIN Validated:

海参在大西洋加拿大是一个新兴但不断增长的产业，尚未充分发挥其潜力。与世界其他地方开发的大多数海参不同，海参是手工捕捞、手工加工并运往豪华海鲜市场，而大西洋加拿大的海参是拖网、机械加工的，通常产生低到中等的回报。此外，目前还没有关于处理、运输和持有原材料以获得标准化商业产品的标准。昆海渔业是一家总部设在纽芬兰和拉布拉多的著名海产品加工商，该公司寻求通过利用Mercier实验室在海参生物学和保护方面的专业知识来优化其海参分支。拟议项目的目标是(1)解决昆海渔业目前在标准化进入加工链的海参方面所面临的挑战；以及(2)试验各种处理技术，以提高最终产品或保证未来的研发。长期目标是开发持有和处理海参的最佳技术，以增加商业最终产品的价值及其在市场上的竞争力，并最终实现相关回报的最大化。该项目还将是制定海参开发的一系列最佳做法的第一阶段，这些做法将使加拿大所有相关利益攸关方受益，并有助于以可持续的方式发展这一前景看好的产业。

Sea cucumber is an emerging but growing industry in Atlantic Canada that has yet to reach its full potential.Unlike most sea cucumbers exploited elsewhere in the world, which are hand-caught, manually processed anddestined to luxury seafood markets, sea cucumbers in Atlantic Canada (Cucumaria frondosa) are trawled,mechanically processed and typically generate low to moderate returns. Moreover, no standards exist at presentfor handling, transporting and holding the raw material to obtain standardized commercial products. Quin SeaFisheries is a prominent seafood processor based in Newfoundland & Labrador that seeks to optimize its seacucumber branch by drawing on the expertise of the Mercier Lab in the biology and conservation of seacucumbers. The objectives of the proposed project are to (1) address the challenges currently experienced byQuin Sea Fisheries in standardizing the aspect of sea cucumbers that enter the processing chain; and (2)experiment with various handling techniques that might enhance the end products or warrant future R&D. Thelong-term aim is to develop optimal techniques for holding and handling sea cucumbers to increase the value ofthe commercial end-products and their competitiveness on the markets, and ultimately maximize the associatedreturns. This project will also constitute the first phase in developing a series of best practices for sea cucumberexploitation that should benefit all Canadian stakeholders involved and help grow this promising industry in asustainable way.