Reproductive periodicity of sea cucumber Bohadschia vitiensis (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) in Hurghada area, Red Sea, Egypt

Sea cucumbers form an important part of multispecies fisheries existing for over 1000 years along the Indo-Pacific region. The “beche-de-mer”, is considered as a good source of income for fishermen and has an important role in the benthic community. A small scale sea cucumber fishery began on Red Sea Coast, by the year 2000. This fishery had expanded dramatically, leading to over exploitation. The sea cucumber Bohadschia vitiensis is currently one of the most valuable species recorded in Egyptian Red Sea Water especially in Hurghada area. The present study is concerned with reproduction of this species. Samples were collected monthly, between March, 2003 and February 2004, at Hurghada area. Gonad index and macroscopic examination were estimated for each individual gonad. Gametogenesis began in May and peak of spawning occurred in June and July in males and females. The gonad index correlated significantly with gonad tubule length and diameter. This is considered a good predictor of sexual maturity and reproduction. The gonad index showed a significant correlation with temperature which may play a role in controlling reproduction. The minimum biological size was 24.5 cm and 26.1 cm for males and females, respectively. There was a shift in sex ratio from 1:1 to a significant rise in number of males throughout the sampling period. This species is considered as a summer spawner as most of Egyptian tropical sea cucumber species of Red Sea.