**4.1 Free sponge method**

*Invertebrates - Ecophysiology and Management*

to its high commercial value.

**4. Sponge culture in Cuba**

contribution to the environment [35].

where they traditionally inhabit.

Investigaciones Pesqueras de Cuba [38, 39].

conclusions were obtained from these studies:

surface and weight per volume unit.

• They showed less mechanical damage during recollection.

• Cultured sponges were harvested in total absence of foreign materials.

• They showed spherical shapes which reduced process expenses and wastes.

• Cultured sponges reached a similar or greater size to those in their natural environment, in equal period, but with better and more rounded shape.

• 'Seeds' for a nondependant aquaculture could be obtained from their natural environment if not harvesting a part of the cultured sponges and allowing

them to naturally grow for about 3 years to get a 'mother sponge'.

country [8].

to decrease, above all, the species *Hippospongia lachne*, associated to the high exploitation rate to which it has been subjected for years, among other factors, due

The development of sustainable and economically viable fishery production alternatives, such as sponge culture, constitutes an additional contribution to environment sustainability. It is a working alternative for fishermen to create new community employment sources and generate income of foreign currency besides the need of moving from a predatory recollection activity to a productive aquaculture work, as a step in economic and cultural fishery development in the

Sponge culture offers a safe and predictable production of a superior quality product to that offered by natural capture besides its elevated price according to the market, quality and species. Besides the easiness of their collection in their natural environment because they are sessile organisms that are generally found in shallow waters, they do not need additional food to that filtered from their environment. This is the reason why its culture requires low investment cost and availability to schedule a tiered harvest. Moreover, its culture reduces fishing pressure on sponges in their natural medium, constituting a sustainable repopulation alternative to increase natural banks surrounding the aquaculture farms because of their larval

Initial sponge culture in Cuba goes back to several decades. A variance of sponge

culture suspended in vertical lines was tested in Cuba in 1965 and described by García del Barco [36, 37] in a sponge culture handbook. The method of vertical suspended lines allowed using a greater area vertically taking advantage of the zone in a greater depth and avoiding being affected by surge as it occurs in lower zones

Complete experimental cycles included sponge collection from their natural environment, seeding, harvesting and reseeding from seeds obtained from the same culture, cleaning process and commercialisation. Aquaculture procedures were performed with the assessment of scientific institutions, such as Centro de

Although sponge culture was not consolidated to a commercial level, important

• Cultured sponges showed less osculation density and diameter, increasing solid

**110**

An experimental farm was projected by the Centro de Estudios y Servicios Ambientales (CESAM, its abbreviation in Spanish for Centre for Environmental Studies and Services) of Villa Clara, Cuba. It was sponsored by funding partners of the United Nations Development Programme for Global Environmental Finance (Small Donations GEF-PNUD). The sponge farm was located in a marine zone in the surroundings of the town Carahatas (Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago) northcentral coast of Cuba. One-hectare culture fences were built and installed in the sea. Metallic poles were buried in the seabed as basic support and plastic mesh cove to restrict access to predators. The 'free' sponge method was used in those subdivided 1-ha lots, planting a density of 1 sponge/4 m2 (**Figure 7**).

Starting from the contribution of the project GEF/PNUD/'Protección de la biodiversidad en tres sectores productivos del Archipiélago Sabana-Camagüey' [Biodiversity protection in three productive sectors of the Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago], fishermen from the Caibarien Basic Enterprise Unit (EPICAI) built a farm in a northeast shallow marine zone with the advice from Centro de Investigaciones Pesqueras.

Recollected sponges were cut in 4–5 cm3 pieces named as 'propagules' that were used for 'seeding' and deposited in the substrate (approximately 2500 seeds/ha), at the mercy of currents and other natural water dynamics, until they reached a commercial size. A total of 12 ha seeded were obtained, which should provide 1 t of sponge in a year at a quote of more than \$15,000 USD in the world market [41].

#### **Figure 7.**

*Experimental sponge farm in Carahatas, Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago, Cuba. Free sponge culture in lots. Graphic art and photography: [41].*

#### **4.2 Trials and tendales method**

This method uses rope 'tendales' in a horizontal pattern, which is commonly identified in aquaculture as 'suspended long-line' method. Briefly, metallic poles are buried in the seabed as support for nylon-braided rope (long lines 1/4″), elevated 20–30 cm off-bottom. Two long lines support horizontal several tendales of nylon monofilament (150 lb) for sponge suspended aquaculture. Mother sponges are cut in propagues (5 to 8 cm3 ) to obtain sponges seeds. Propagues are tied to tendales in a collar-shape pattern using monofilament nylon lines (50 lb). In this way, sponge 'seeds' hang vertically to horizontal tendales with a separation of 30 cm between each one, during all the grow-out period (**Figure 8A**). Alternatively, sponge seeds can be put directly in the nylon tendales (**Figure 8B**).

**Figure 8.**

*Suspended line culture. System designed for the experimental farm in Caibarién, Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago, Cuba. Graphic art: M.A. Avilés-Quevedo. Photography: Empresa Pesquera Industrial de Caibarien (EPICAI).*

After a grow-out from 15 to 18 months, 80% of planted sponges were obtained with acceptable commercial size (18–23 cm in diameter). Part of the recollection of this farm was used as 'mother sponge' to obtain new lots of 'seeds' for a second project with 130 suspended lines (trails), each one with 33 sponges for a total of 4290 cultured sponges [42].

All these projects, efforts and intentions to boost sponge cultivation in Cuba have remained at the stage of demonstrative experiments without scaling up to allow expansion to a systematic and eco-sustainable production level with an economic profitable income. The causes of this limited development have been related rather than beyond the indisputable potential of marine waters to human factors related to the will of introducing, developing and consolidating sponge culture, which could promote a regional socioeconomic progress.

#### **5. Challenges**

Gradual reduction of natural sponge banks at national and global levels has been evident, and that risk situation could get worse due to the problems deriving from

**113**

*Sponge Fishery and Aquaculture in Cuba: Impacts and Challenges*

climate change. Sponge culture, besides being a sustainable production, constitutes an alternative in foreign currency with commercialisation prices according to Cuban commercial species from \$4 to \$74 USD/kg, depending on their quality

The main challenges to develop and generalise sponge culture in Cuba are:

1.Link and implicate fishery enterprises and coastal communities to develop

2.Assess and select ideal sites for priority species, according to value and abundance of the natural resources, to implement a viable economical and eco-

3.Apply a differential price and payment policy to fishermen, according to natural and cultured sponges. It is essential although clearly established policies

4.In other terms, cultured sponges should have more attractive prices to motivate their introduction and boost technologic development and generalisation or

5.The economical-environmental feasibility that fishermen themselves combine natural sponge extraction with aquaculture production may not be viable in practice due to their extractive tradition, timing annual fishery operations and compliance demand for official production plans or goals, among other

6.Facing the decrease in sponge capture and abundance, it shall be essential to reduce fishing effort on natural populations, diverting fleet and fishermen that are currently dedicated to sponge extraction towards aquaculture production.

7.Those challenges will imply economic and logistic support from state institutions until the first results have been reached, and after that first goal, a second step of continuity will be necessary to improve and continuously enhance this

This study was financed by Public Sectorial Research Fund for Education of México, Basic Science project Conacyt No. 258282 and R&D project Proinnova Conacyt No. 241777, under the academic responsibility of JMMS. Authors are grateful to Centro de Investigaciones Pesqueras (CIP, Cuba), Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S.C. (CIBNOR, México), Antonio Grovas Hernández of Grupo Empresarial de la Industria Alimentaria (GEIA, Cuba) who provided updated sponge extraction data, and Diana Fisher for English edition.

exist for the development of marine aquaculture in Cuba.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84785*

sponge culture projects.

sustainable aquaculture.

the activity.

subjective factors.

productive activity.

**Acknowledgements**

classification.

*Invertebrates - Ecophysiology and Management*

can be put directly in the nylon tendales (**Figure 8B**).

This method uses rope 'tendales' in a horizontal pattern, which is commonly identified in aquaculture as 'suspended long-line' method. Briefly, metallic poles are buried in the seabed as support for nylon-braided rope (long lines 1/4″), elevated 20–30 cm off-bottom. Two long lines support horizontal several tendales of nylon monofilament (150 lb) for sponge suspended aquaculture. Mother sponges are cut

a collar-shape pattern using monofilament nylon lines (50 lb). In this way, sponge 'seeds' hang vertically to horizontal tendales with a separation of 30 cm between each one, during all the grow-out period (**Figure 8A**). Alternatively, sponge seeds

After a grow-out from 15 to 18 months, 80% of planted sponges were obtained with acceptable commercial size (18–23 cm in diameter). Part of the recollection of this farm was used as 'mother sponge' to obtain new lots of 'seeds' for a second project with 130 suspended lines (trails), each one with 33 sponges for a total of

*Suspended line culture. System designed for the experimental farm in Caibarién, Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago, Cuba. Graphic art: M.A. Avilés-Quevedo. Photography: Empresa Pesquera Industrial de* 

All these projects, efforts and intentions to boost sponge cultivation in Cuba have remained at the stage of demonstrative experiments without scaling up to allow expansion to a systematic and eco-sustainable production level with an economic profitable income. The causes of this limited development have been related rather than beyond the indisputable potential of marine waters to human factors related to the will of introducing, developing and consolidating sponge culture,

Gradual reduction of natural sponge banks at national and global levels has been evident, and that risk situation could get worse due to the problems deriving from

which could promote a regional socioeconomic progress.

) to obtain sponges seeds. Propagues are tied to tendales in

**4.2 Trials and tendales method**

in propagues (5 to 8 cm3

4290 cultured sponges [42].

**112**

**5. Challenges**

**Figure 8.**

*Caibarien (EPICAI).*

climate change. Sponge culture, besides being a sustainable production, constitutes an alternative in foreign currency with commercialisation prices according to Cuban commercial species from \$4 to \$74 USD/kg, depending on their quality classification.

The main challenges to develop and generalise sponge culture in Cuba are:

