Dr Matthew Slater
Research Associate

Current research project is focused on implementing community-led sea cucumber aquaculture in Tanzania. Project PI The project aims ultimately to develop commercial aquaculture which is guided by effective community participation and leadership which is thus economically, socially and environmentally sustainable and beneficial.

The work involves developing and applying participatory methods to integrate multiple local stakeholders' inputs into the aquaculture system's conceptualisation. The aim is to produce methods by which other community-led projects can ensure appropriate consultation and participation in developing commercial aquaculture. In addition, as part of the project we will build a hatchery system, disseminate knowledge of husbandry techniques for sea cucumber production and implement the aquaculture system with the selected communities.

Also involved in developing new polyculture or ‘Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture’ systems in the UK, using sea cucumbers to reprocess and bioremediate fish farm waste, reducing environmental impacts and growing a valuable secondary product.

 

Recent publications

Slater, M.J., Jeffs, A.G, 2010. Do benthic sediment characteristics explain the distribution of juveniles of the deposit-feeding sea cucumber Australostichopus mollis? Journal of Sea Research 64 (3), 241-249.

Parsons, D.M., Morrison, M.A., Slater, M.J., 2010. Decreased dispersion of snapper (Pagrus auratus) tagged inside compared to outside a marine reserve. Biological Conservation. 143 (9) 2039-2048.

Slater, M.J., Carton, A.G., 2010. Sea cucumber habitat differentiation and site retention as determined by intraspecific stable isotope variation. Aquaculture Research. 41 (10), e695-702.

Slater, M.J., Carton, A.G., 2009. Effect of sea cucumber (Australostichopus mollis) grazing on coastal sediments impacted by mussel farm deposition. Marine Pollution Bulletin 58 (8) 1123-1129.

Slater, M.J., Jeffs, A.G, Carton, A.G., 2009. The use of the waste from green-lipped mussels as a food source for juvenile sea cucumber, Australostichopus mollis. Aquaculture 212, 219-224

Slater, M.J., Carton, A.G., 2007. Survivorship and growth of the sea cucumber Australostichopus (Stichopus) mollis (Hutton 1872) in polyculture trials with green-lipped mussel farms. Aquaculture 272, 389-398.

Slater, M.J., Carton, A.G, Jeffs, A.G., 2010. Highly localised distribution patterns of juvenile sea cucumber Australostichopus mollis. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Biology. 44 (4), 201-216

Slater, M.J., Lassudrie, M., Jeffs, A.G., 2010. Apparent digestibility of carbohydrate and protein sources for artificial diets for juvenile sea cucumber, Australostichopus mollis. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society. In press.

 

Conference Presentations and Industry Publications

2010 - Stead, S.M. and Slater, M.J. Linking attitudes, perceptions and socio-economics to participatory aquaculture governance. Aquaculture governance and interactions with fisheries: Aquaculture Europe 2010, Porto, Portugal.

2009 - Slater, M.J. The juvenile ecology and feeding biology of the sea cucumber Australostichopus mollis. Oral presentation, New Zealand Marine Science Society Conference, Auckland, New Zealand.

2006 – Slater, M.J., Carton A.G. Polyculture of the common New Zealand sea cucumber  Stichopus mollis with Greenshell mussels. Oral presentation, Aqua 2006 combined conference of World Aquaculture and European Aquaculture Societies, Florence, Italy.

2005 – Slater, M.J. Determining the suitability of the sea cucumber Stichopus mollis for marine polyculture. Oral presentation, New Zealand Marine Science Society Conference, Wellington, New Zealand.

Carton, A. G & Slater, M. J., 2008. Utilising the waste stream: Determining the suitability of the sea cucumber Stichopus mollis for co-culture with Greenshell mussels. World Aquaculture Magazine. 39(4). 17-19.

Slater, M.J., Carton, A.G., 2006. Sea cucumbers and mussel farming. Seafood New Zealand. 14 (1). 42-43.

 

Media

2009

Radio New Zealand / Australian Broadcasting Corporation “Our Changing World Science Series - Sea cucumber polyculture and aquaculture:

http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/ocw/ocw-20091217-2146-Sea_Cucumbers-048.mp3

2011

CNN Earth’s frontiers April 2011:    http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/03/24/aquaculture.tilapia/

The Independent, p14, 03.02.2011:    http://tinyurl.com/6ldxlkn
The Journal, pp1&3, 03.02.2011:        http://tinyurl.com/69o9gjl
Mumbai Mirror, India 04.02.2011:       http://tinyurl.com/5rkh9su
New Zealand Herald  26.02.2011:   http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10703882

Poverty Eradication through Community-Led Sea Cucumber Aquaculture

 

This ambitious research project is the result of expanding cooperation between Newcastle University and the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This project is funded for the next three years by a Leverhulme Trust Research Project Grant.

 

The fieldwork is based in Tanzania and centres on the development of a sea cucumber aquaculture industry. The project aim is to develop a robust and flexible methodology to engage stakeholders at many levels in the management of aquaculture. The project will establish an adaptive learning framework with the flexibility to be used world-wide for community-led aquaculture development achieved in close partnership with private enterprise to deliver enduring poverty eradication alongside reasonable economic returns, without causing adverse social or environmental impacts.

 

The resulting process will also show end-users how to collect, analyse and incorporate knowledge into business and management decision-making processes and the formulation of policies that support good governance.

 

 

These aims will be accomplished in three main steps:

 

1.      Conceptualise and develop an iterative communication strategy suited to local conditions to encourage involvement in the project and gather input into the project.

 

2.      Gain substantial investment by an industry partner in the project.

 

3.      Instigate the implementation of sea cucumber aquaculture.

 

 

For further information contact:                                                 

Prof. Selina Stead or Dr. Matt Slater                                            Phone:   +44 191 222 6661

School of Marine Science and Technology                                 Fax:       +44 191 222 7891

Newcastle University                                                                         Email:   selina.stead@newcastle.ac.uk

Ridley Building                                                                                                  m.slater@ncl.ac.uk

Newcastle upon Tyne                                                                        Web:      www.ncl.ac.uk/marine

NE1 7RU, UK

Poverty Eradication through Community-Led Sea Cucumber Aquaculture:

 

The key element of the project is communicating with stakeholders at all levels of society regarding aquaculture. This provides an insight into attitudes towards aquaculture as well as informing about the legal and societal framework within which any new aquaculture industry must exist.  

 

This communication begins in the form of Key informant interviews, where open discussions are held with stakeholders, ranging from government ministers to village leaders and prominent fishers discussing aquaculture in Tanzania.

 

 

These early interviews provide a basis for quantitative data gathering. This is where community members are randomly selected and basic data about their livelihoods and activities are gathered, along with data about their attitudes towards aquaculture and fisheries as well as their hopes for the future.

 

We then introduce our proposed project to village leaders and gain acceptance of our presence within coastal communities to engage with interested individuals and begin to develop the sea cucumber aquaculture industry.

We will use participatory methods in focus groups and in the field to facilitate community-led development of the proposed sea cucumber industry. That means we use methods to encourage community members to gather their own information and make their own planning decisions to develop an industry which is socially acceptable, economically viable and environmentally sustainable.

 

 

In addition to community participation, the project relies heavily on the inclusion of private investment to drive industry development and ensure longevity of the industry beyond the project timeframe. A pilot scheme with a function ing hatchery and grow-out system will be developed together with interested seafood exporters to encourage their investment in the growing industry.   

Projects

MST 2009 Aquaculture and Fisheries in NE England - Lectures on aquauculture impacts and development aquaculture

MSc Aquaculture Enterprise and Technology - Field course leader Aquaculture in Scotland and NE England

Delve Deeper, Big Sea Survey - Guest lecturer