Sea cucumbers A global review of fisheries and trade
9 7 8 9 2 5 1 0 6 0 7 9 7 TC/M/I0375E/1/10.08/2000 ISBN 978-92-5-106079-7 ISSN 2070-7010 516 ISSN 2070-7010 FAO FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE TECHNICAL PAPER This paper reviews the worldwide population status, fishery and trade of sea cucumbers through the collection and analysis of the available information from five regions, covering known sea cucumber fishing grounds: temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere; Latin America and the Caribbean; Africa and the Indian Ocean; Asia; and the Western Central Pacific. In each region a case study of a “hotspot” country or fishery is presented to highlight critical problems and opportunities for the sustainable management of sea cucumber fisheries. The hotspots are Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Seychelles, the Galapagos Islands and the fishery for Cucumaria frondosa of Newfoundland in Canada. Together they provide a comprehensive and up-to-date evaluation of the global status of sea cucumber populations, fisheries, trade and management, constituting an important information source for researchers, managers, policy-makers and regional/international organizations interested in sea cucumber conservation and exploitation. Sea cucumbers A global review of fisheries and trade Sea cucumbers − A global review of fisheries and trade 516 F AO Cover image: Line drawings of selected sea cucumber species. Drawings from the FAO Species Identification and Data Programme (SIDP). Montage created by Alessandro Lovatelli and José Luis Castilla Civit. � � Sea cucumbers A global review of fisheries and trade Edited by Verónica Toral-Granda FAO Consultant Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Galapagos Islands, Ecuador Alessandro Lovatelli Fishery Resources Officer (Aquaculture) Aquaculture Management and Conservation Service FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department Rome, Italy and Marcelo Vasconcellos Fishery Resources Officer Fisheries Management and Conservation Service FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department Rome, Italy FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 2008 FAO FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE TECHNICAL P APER 516 The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of FAO. ISBN 978-92-5-106079-7 All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to: Chief Electronic Publishing Policy and Support Branch Communication Division FAO Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy or by e-mail to: copyright@fao.org © FAO 2008 iii Preparation of this document Prompted by concerns about the status of sea cucumbers stocks worldwide, because of the demand in international markets for bêche-de-mer, different initiatives have been implemented in recent years aimed at improving the understanding of these resources and sheries, as well as to provide technical guidance for their conservation and sustainable exploitation. Two international meetings were held to review the situation of sheries and to discuss management measures. The FAO Technical Workshop on Advances in Sea Cucumber Aquaculture and Management (ASCAM) was held in Dalian, People’s Republic of China, in 2003. The CITES Technical Workshop on Conservation of Sea Cucumbers in the Families Holothuridae and Stichopodidae was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2004. Building on the results of these meetings, both FAO Members and CITES Parties concurred on the urgent need to improve capacity of countries to manage sea cucumber sheries through the provision of scientic information and management tools. With this in mind, FAO has been implementing a Japanese-funded project on “CITES and commercially-exploited species, including the evaluation of listing proposals” which aims, among other things, to collate and disseminate information on the global status of commercially exploited sea cucumber stocks and to assist shing nations in the conservation and sustainable exploitation of these benthic marine organisms. The main goal of the project is to develop technical guidelines to assist sheries managers in deciding regulations and processes for the better management, conservation and sustainable exploitation of their sea cucumber resources. In support of the development of Technical Guidelines, regional reviews and hotspot analyses were commissioned to leading experts in sea cucumber sheries and used as background documents in an FAO Technical Workshop on “Sustainable use and management of sea cucumber sheries” held in Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, from 19 to 23 November 2007. This publication collects all the regional reviews and hotspot analysis prepared for the project and presented at the workshop. Together they provide a comprehensive and up- to-date evaluation of the global status of sea cucumber populations, sheries, trade and management, constituting an important information source for researchers, managers, policy-makers and regional/international organizations interested on sea cucumber conservation and exploitation. To facilitate the reading of this document and to accurately distinguish China from China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the comma in the ofcial name of the China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has been intentionally omitted. iv Abstract The present document reviews the population status, shery and trade of sea cucumbers worldwide through the collation and analysis of the available information from ve regions, covering known sea cucumber shing grounds: temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere; Latin America and the Caribbean; Africa and Indian Ocean; Asia; and Western Central Pacic. In each region a case study of a “hotspot” country or shery was conducted to highlight critical problems and opportunities for the sustainable management of sea cucumber sheries. The hotspots are Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Seychelles, Galapagos Islands and the shery for Cucumaria frondosa of Newfoundland in Canada. Across the ve regions, the scale of catches and the number of exploited species varies widely, the Asian and Pacic regions being those with the highest catches and species diversity. Most sheries are multispecic, or have evolved from single-species to multispecies sheries as the more valuable species became overexploited. There are many typologies of sea cucumber sheries, ranging from artisanal, to semi-industrial and industrial. The bulk of the catches are exported to supply the Asian bêche-de-mer market, with China Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) the main export destination for the totality of countries reviewed. With the exception of some stocks in the temperate areas of the northern hemisphere, sea cucumber stocks are under intense shing throughout the world. In Latin America and the Caribbean it appears that high valued commercial species have been depleted. In the majority of the countries reviewed in the Africa and Indian Ocean region stocks are overshed. Likewise in the Asian Pacic region the most sought-after species are largely depleted. Despite the fact that sea cucumber shing is not a traditional activity, a large number of coastal communities have developed a strong dependency on it as alternative source of income. Reconciling the need for conservation with the socio-economic importance that these sheries have acquired will require effective management efforts, which are currently lacking in many places. The hotspot case studies show for instance that, despite the adoption of management plans in some countries, the lack of enforcement capacity poses considerable constraints on the effectiveness of adopted management measures, besides exacerbating illegal, unreported and unregulated shing and trade. The papers also discuss some of the factors behind the unsustainable use of sea cucumbers and the role and potential benets of alternative management measures, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The lack of capacity to gather the basic information needed for management plans, weak enforcement, the high demand from international markets and the pressure exerted from resource-dependent communities gure high as important factors responsible for the critical status of sea cucumber sheries worldwide. Authors concur on the need for immediate actions to stop the trend of sequential depletion of species if we are to conserve stocks biodiversity and sustain the ecological, social and economic benets of these resources. Toral-Granda, V.; Lovatelli, A.; Vasconcellos, M. (eds). Sea cucumbers. A global review of sheries and trade. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper. No. 516. Rome, FAO. 2008. 317p. v Contents Preparation of this document iii Abstract iv Acknowledgements vii Contributors viii Abbreviations and acronyms ix Executive summary 1 Population status, fisheries and trade of sea cucumbers in the Western Central Pacific 7 Je f f Ki n c h , St e v e n Pu r c e l l , Sv e n ut h i c K e a n d Ki m fr i e d m a n Papua New Guinea: a hotspot of sea cucumber fisheries in the Western Central Pacific 57 Je f f Ki n c h , St e v e Pu r c e l l , Sv e n ut h i c K e a n d Ki m fr i e d m a n Population status, fisheries and trade of sea cucumbers in Asia 81 Po h -Sz e ch o o The Philippines: a hotspot of sea cucumber fisheries in Asia 119 Po h -Sz e ch o o Population status, fisheries and trade of sea cucumbers in Africa and the Indian Ocean 143 ch a n t a l co n a n d Seychelles: a hotspot of sea cucumber fisheries in Africa and the Indian Ocean 195 ri a z au m e e r u d d y a n d ch a n t a l co n a n d Population status, fisheries and trade of sea cucumbers in Latin America and the Caribbean 213 ve r ó n i c a to r a l -Gr a n d a Galapagos Islands: a hotspot of sea cucumber fisheries in Latin America and the Caribbean 231 ve r ó n i c a to r a l -Gr a n d a Population status, fisheries and trade of sea cucumbers in temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere 257 Je a n -fr a n ç o i S ha m e l a n d an n i e me r c i e r Precautionary management of Cucumaria frondosa in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada 293 Je a n -fr a n ç o i S ha m e l a n d an n i e me r c i e r ANNEXES 1. Workshop agenda 307 2. List of participants 309 3. Participant profiles 311 4. Experts group photograph 317 vi Acknowledgements Numerous individuals contributed to the successful organization and implementation of the sea cucumber workshop in the Galapagos Islands, which resulted in the preparation of draft technical guidelines for managing sea cucumber sheries and the compilation of the present global review. All of them are thanked for their efforts and contributions during the preparatory phases and at the workshop itself. Special thanks are due to the Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos, for hosting the workshop and for providing excellent logistical support. Much appreciation goes to Verónica Toral-Granda and Tom Poulsom for their hospitality. The preparation of the workshop programme, identication of the various experts and scientic and editorial support throughout this activity was possible thanks to the immense work of all members of the Scientic Committee established almost one year before the workshop took place. The dedication of Chantal Conand, Steven Purcell, Sven Uthicke, Jean-François Hamel, Annie Mercier and Verónica Toral-Granda were invaluable to the success of the workshop and to the quality of the present document. The organization of the workshop and the preparation of this document were possible thanks to funds provided to FAO by the government of Japan through the Trust Fund Project on “CITES and commercially-exploited aquatic species, including the evaluation of listing proposals”. The workshop organizers also wish to thank the institutions that have permitted their experts to prepare for and attend the workshop. The Secretariat of the Pacic Community (SPC) is thanked for supporting the participation of Kim Friedman, and the University of Nagoya, Japan, for that of Jun Akamine. Finally, the opportunity is taken to thank all the FAO staff members in Rome and Quito (Ecuador), who have contributed in one way or another in the organization of the workshop. The maps of the regional reviews and hotspot areas were prepared by Fabio Carocci. The layout creation was by José Luis Castilla Civit. vii Contributors Jun AKAMINE School of Humanities and Social Sciences Nagoya City University Nagoya City, Aichi, Japan Poh Sze CHOO WorldFish Center Penang, Malaysia Chantal CONAND Laboratoire ecologie marine Université de la Réunion Saint-Denis, France Eduardo ESPINOZA Galapagos National Park Service Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Galapagos, Ecuador Kim FRIEDMAN Secretariat of the Pacic Community Nouméa, New Caledonia Ruth GAMBOA Department of Biology University of the Philippines Mindanao Davao City, Philippines Jean-François HAMEL Society for the Exploration and Valuing of the Environment (SEVE) Newfoundland, Canada Ale x HEARN Charles Darwin Foundation Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Galapagos Ecuador María Dinorah HERRERO- PÉREZRUL La Paz, Baja California Sur Mexico Jeff KINCH Coastal Management Advisor Secretariat for the Pacic Regional Environment Program Apia, Samoa Priscilla C. MARTÍNEZ World Wildlife Fund Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Galapagos, Ecuador Annie MERCIER Ocean Sciences Centre Memorial University St. John’s Newfoundland & Labrador Canada Steven PURCELL WorldFish Center Nouméa, New Caledonia Verónica TORAL-GRANDA Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Galapagos, Ecuador Sven UTHICKE Australian Institute of Marine Science Queensland, Australia Matthias WOLFF Charles Darwin Foundation Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Galapagos, Ecuador viii Abbreviations and acronyms ACIAR Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research AFLP amplied fragment length polymorphism ASCAM Advances in Sea Cucumber Aquaculture and Management BACI before–after, control–impact BFAR Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources CAFID Canada/Newfoundland Cooperation Agreement for Fishing Industry Development CCC Coral Cay Conservation CCFI Canadian Center for Fisheries Innovation CDF Charles Darwin Foundation CFMDP Coastal Fisheries Management and Development Programme CICIMAR Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas (Mexico) CITES Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CN-MAD National Committee in Madagascar CNMI Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands CPUE catch per unit effort CRED Coral Reef Ecosystem Division CSIRO Australia Commonwealth Scientic and Research Organization CUD Belgian University Corporation for Development DA-BFAR Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources DFA Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Canada) DFMR Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources DFO Department of Fisheries and Oceans (Canada) DOST Department of Science and Technology DPRK Democratic Peoples’ Republic Korea EEZ exclusive economic zone EIO Eastern Indian Ocean EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FFAW Fish, Food and Allied Workers FSM Federated States of Micronesia FUNZEL Fundación Zoológica de El Salvador (Honduras) GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade GBR Great Barrier Reef GEM-USAID Growth with Equity in Mindanao GMR Galapagos Marine Reserve GNPS Galapagos National Park Service ICAR Indian Council of Agricultural Research ICNAF International Convention for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries IMA Inter-Institutional Management Authority INVEMAR Instituto Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (Colombia) IPN Instituto Politécnico Nacional (Mexico) IQF individually quick frozen ITQ individual transferable quotas IUU illegal, unregulated and unreported [...]... Islands Halmahera Sea Nauru Bismarck Ceram Sea Sea Banda Solomon Papua New Sea Islands Solomon Savu Sea Arafura Guinea Sea Sea Timor Sea Vanuatu Kiribati Jarvis Island P Tuvalu Fiji Coral Sea a c i i c O c e a n Tokelau 10°S Samoa American Samoa Cook Islands Tonga Niue New Caledonia f 77 Equator French Polynesia Tropic of Capricorn Pitcairn Island Australia 30°S 30°S 57 Indian Ocean 140°E Tasman Sea 160°E... Territory) Australia (Morteon Bay) Australia (Torres Strait) Australia (Coral Sea) Fiji New Caledonia Vanuatu Solomon Islands Papua New Guinea French Polymrsia Australia (Great Barrier Reef) Australia and New Zealand Melanesia Cook Islands Niue Tonga Samoa Wallis and Futuna Tuvalu Kiribati Polynesia Nauru Marshall Islands Federated States of Micronesia CNMI Guam Species Palau Micronesia 1 ... Newfoundland and Labrador National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (USA) Nova Scotia (Canada) No-Take Zone The National Association of Sea Cucumber Producers Ocean Sciences Centre (Memorial University, Canada) Protected Area Management Board Participatory and Adaptive Management Scheme Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development Pacific Island Countries and Territories Participatory... Exports of salted sea cucumbers are limited to small shipments from New Caledonia and possibly Kiribati Frozen sea cucumbers are also exported from Australia and New Zealand, and previously Tonga Several species of sea cucumbers are used for the aquarium trade For example, T. ananas, H leucospilota, B argus and H hilla are exported as ornamentals from the Solomon Islands (Kinch, 200 4a) , and some probably... New Zealand 180° 81 160°W 140°W 120°W Sea cucumbers A global review of fisheries and trade 10 Figure 2 COURTESY OF S PURCELL Varied habitats of the tropical Western Central Pacific region Left: H scabra in a muddy inshore seagrass bed Right: A mauritiana, in complex habitat on the reef crest • Melanesia: Papua New Guinea (PNG), the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Fiji; and • Australia and. .. Caledonia Guam New Caledonia Uthicke, 1994 Conand, 1988, 1989, 1993 Richmond, 199 6a Conand, 1981, 1988, 1989, 1993 New Caledonia PNG Palau Australia (GBR) New Caledonia Australia (GBR) Fiji Australia (GBR) New Caledonia Solomon Islands Australia (GBR) New Caledonia Australia (GBR) Australia (NT) Cook Islands Cook Islands Australia (GBR) Australia (GBR) Australia (NT) New Caledonia PNG Solomon Islands... herrmanni A lecanora H coluber S horrens* A mauritiana H difficilis S monotuberculatus* A miliaris H edulis S naso* A palauensis H flavomaculata S pseudohorrens A spinea H fuscocinerea S vastus Bohadschia anaes H fuscogilva S ocellatus B argus H fuscopunctata Australostichopus mollis B bivitatta H grises Thelenota ananas B geoffreyi H guamensis T anax B maculisparsa H hilla T rubralineata B marmorata... harvested in the Torres Straits are H. scabra and A. mauritiana, with some smaller landings of H whitmaei, H fuscogilva, H atra, A. echinites and H fuscopunctata (AFMA, 2004, 2005) Table 5 Past and present commercially exploited holothurian species in the Western Central Pacific region Actinopyga caerulea A echinites Total New Zealand Australia (Western Australia) Australia (Northern Territory) Australia... waters of the Western Central Pacific region have afforded a high level of speciation Habitats for sea cucumbers in the Western Central Pacific Region are predominantly coastal seagrass beds near mangroves and the soft and hard substrata of coral reefs (Figure 2) It is both the warm temperatures and shallow habitats that permit easy harvesting by coastal fishers and make these fisheries vulnerable to... Federation and the United States of America); Latin America and the Caribbean; Africa and Indian Ocean; Asia; and Western Central Pacific (including Australia) In each region, specialists conducted a case study of a “hotspot” country or fishery to highlight topical or critical problems and opportunities for the sustainable management of sea cucumber fisheries The five hotspots are: Papua New Guinea (Western . Iceland, Russian Federation and the United States of America); Latin America and the Caribbean; Africa and Indian Ocean; Asia; and Western Central Pacic. Indian Ocean), Galapagos Islands (Latin America and the Caribbean); and the Cucumaria frondosa shery of Newfoundland in Canada (Temperate areas of Northern