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Sustainable Resource Management Program

Sponge Aquaculture

Sponge harvesting has been a part of Bahamian culture for centuries. The late 1800’s saw a heavy reliance on the sponge industry with one third of households depending on sponge harvesting as a source of income. Large-scale harvesting of sponges continued until the 1930’s when disease and unsustainable harvest techniques decimated commercially valuable species. The modern Bahamian sponge industry is underdeveloped despite the fact that global demand for natural sponges is growing. This increase in demand has been fueled by a variety of markets including traditional domestic products and more recently, cosmetic, medical, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. With increasing pressures on commercial fish stocks in The Bahamas, there is a clear need for alternative and sustainable sources of income for the local community. Sponge aquaculture has the potential to become one such alternative.

Sponge research at Cape Eleuthera Institute is carried out in conjunction with Giuliano Orel of the University of Trieste, Italy, and Giusto Pesle of Spugnificio Rosenfeld & Gasteiger, one of the oldest sponge wholesalers in Europe. Current research examines multiple aspects of sponge biology and ecology that are critical to determining the specific environmental requirements and commercial viability of sponge aquaculture. In October 2004 pilot studies were conducted on two species (Spongia pertusa and Spongia tuberlifera) to determine initial survival rates and potential for large-scale aquaculture ventures. These pilot studies showed positive rates of skin regeneration and survival within the initial growth period. Since September 2005 a variety of grow-out structures have been experimented with as well as continued data collection on survival, skin regeneration rates, growth rates and algal coverage.

Future research will focus on four objectives:

1. Monitor the growth and survival rates for the two species currently deployed on aquaculture grow-out arrays.
2. Quantify the diversity and abundance of locally occurring sponge species that would be available for commercial use.
3. Identify species found locally that possess chemical compounds of interest to the pharmaceutical industry and monitor growth and survival rates of these species on grow-out arrays.
4. Explore the potential for growing sponges in saltwater raceways for nutrient sequestering and the aquarium trade.

The Cape Eleuthera Institute sponge aquaculture initiative will continue to grow as more information is collected on growth rates, chemical ecology and the natural abundance and diversity of local species.