Indian Ocean Trepang

Indian Ocean Trepang (IOT) is a SME, located in Tulear, South-West Madagascar, specialized in sandfish sea cucumber farming (Holothuria scabra species). It is one of the few fully integrated Holothuria scabra sea cucumber aquaculture companies (with a hatchery, nursery, grow-out sea pens and processing factory). Thanks to long-time partnerships with universities, IOT enjoys the use of an in-vitro reproduction patent for all year-round reproductions. In addition to its own operations, IOT supplies - under a buy-back program and in partnership with NGOs - juvenile sea cucumbers to “fishermen turned farmers” to grow them to adult size, thus creating an alternative income to fishermen in isolated communities facing wild fisheries depletion. Sea cucumbers are deposit feeders, they feed on the seabed sediments; we do not provide any food. They reach maturity in their natural habitat (coastal tidal basin) thus contributing to restoring the coastal marine area health and integrity. Alternatively, they can also be grown in shrimp ponds aquaculture farms for bio-remediation, or at idle shrimp farms not in production any more due to disease (e.g. white spot virus) or other challenges. IOT's vision is to replicate our business model in the Indian Ocean. Our vision is, in 10 years from now, to have 10 operations impacting the lives of 10,000 families.