Matt Slater, a sea cucumber specialist at Newcastle University, claims that these disgusting little invertebrates could be the answer to the layers of uneaten food and fish poo that collect under salmon farms. Despite its lack of any aesthetic appeal, the sea cucumber has a voracious appetite and will suck up all the detritus like a Hoover. Once properly fattened, the cucumber can then be collected and sold to gourmet restaurants for a tidy profit.
It's a brilliant idea. Where it falls down is that the sea cucumber tastes as disgusting as it looks. This tends to produce what is known as consumer resistance. Maybe they'll claim it's high in anti-oxidants or something.
4 comments:
Actually it isn't that awful as it looks. Does the name trepang ring the bells?
Exotic? Yes. Outlandish? You bet. But not disgusting - just different.
Oh, and these critters are known in the Far East as aphrodisiac. Don't know if they work together with Viagra, though.
Given that they're being fed waste, they could probably be used as animal feed. I have no doubt that pigs would eat them (they'll eat anything).
Lobster traps are baited with the most rancid things the fishermen can buy by the hogshead, so there is precedent for placing scavengers immediately below oneself on the food chain. Hey, protein from the sea!
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