Sea cucumbers in a deep pickle

Sea cucumbers, which turn over as much as 90 percent of the biomass on the sea floor, are a vital part of the marine ecosystem

By Environmental News Network staff

Resembling a creepy slug more than a tasty vegetable, sea cucumbers are an unknown and unattractive species to the great unwashed. But to fishermen in Ecuador, they are jewels of the sea.

A recent study conducted by TRAFFIC on the sea cucumber fishery along Ecuador's Galapagos Islands warns that action is needed to ensure that the resource is sustainable in the future.

Ranging in size from a few centimeters to 2 meters, sea cucumbers are marine animals related to starfish. Usually traded in dried form, most sea cucumbers harvested from the Galapagos Islands are shipped to Asian markets, where they are considered a delicacy and a remedy for cuts, inflammation, peptic ulcers, chest pains and asthma.

Often compared to earthworms because they feed on detritus and turn over as much as 90 percent of the biomass on the sea floor, sea cucumbers are a vital part of the marine ecosystem.

Following a four-year ban, an experimental sea cucumber fishery was approved in April and May 1999 in the Galapagos. In that time, more than 4.4 million sea cucumbers were harvested and shipped from the islands to mainland Ecuador.

In areas where the fishery was opened, sea cucumber populations suffered a 77 percent decline. Populations were not affected in no-take areas.

"Most of the catch was obtained during the first three weeks of the harvest, with the fishermen themselves saying that they subsequently saw a rapid reduction of the resource and had to go deeper to obtain a profitable catch," said Maija Sirola, a communications officer for TRAFFIC.

Fishermen in the Galapagos Islands region are demanding the right to harvest sea cucumbers, Isostichopus fuscus, for Asian markets

"The study confirmed that sea cucumber harvest is a very lucrative activity, not only for fishermen, but also for local dealers and cargo companies," Sirola said. "(This is) the main reason to pressure local authorities to open this type of fishery frequently and include it on the yearly fishing calendar."

Pressure on the government to reopen the fishery was so great that in January several dozen fishermen who protested the closure of the cucumber fishery blocked the only road to the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos. For three days, the protesters held scientists and their families hostage, threatening to slaughter giant tortoises in the research center's collection if the fishing season was not restored.

The fisherman want a three-month sea cucumber season every year. Many argue that sea cucumber populations recovered following the ban and that the fishery could be managed sustainabley.

"We believe that's premature," Zain said.

The study calls for the Ecuadorian government to impose a tariff on harvested sea cucumbers so that the funds can be invested in future conservation projects.

TRAFFIC also urges the government to establish direct contacts with the governments of potential importing countries due to major discrepancies that exist between the export and import quotas of different countries at different times.

The study revealed that exports of sea cucumbers from Ecuador to Taiwan continued during periods when the fishery was closed, making such exports illegal.

A 1999 TRAFFIC study found that sea cucumbers continued to be fished illegally despite a ban on the fishery since 1994.

Zain said managing the sea cucumber fishery will be a "very difficult balancing act."

"We have to realize that while other fish stocks are declining, the people who live in the Galapagos region suddenly have a gold mine," he said. "We know that if we want protected areas around the world to be successful, we have to have local communities in and around those areas behind us."

Copyright 2000, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved

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