Endangered delicacy: Tropical sea cucumbers in trouble

Date:
February 11, 2022
Source:
University of Queensland
Summary:
Overharvest has put the Great Barrier Reef's tropical sea cucumber
populations in peril, researchers have revealed, with strong demand
for this delicacy from East and Southeast Asia.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Overharvest has put the Great Barrier Reef's tropical sea cucumber
populations in peril, researchers have revealed, with strong demand for
this delicacy from East and Southeast Asia.


==========================================================================
A team led by The University of Queensland's Dr Kenny Wolfe said fishery
data collected along Australia's primary sea cucumber fishing ground
showed the need for regulatory changes.

"The Great Barrier Reef is home to 10 of the world's 16 endangered or vulnerable sea cucumber species," Dr Wolfe said.

"The data shows populations of some of the highest-valued species have
been dwindling due to increasing and persistent global overharvest."
"They're seen as a delicacy to some, but sea cucumbers are the earthworms
or vacuums of the sea, helping keep the seafloor clean and productive -- they're critical for healthy ocean ecosystems." One fast-disappearing
group of tropical sea cucumbers, known as teatfish, was of particular
concern.



========================================================================== "Teatfish are listed on CITES -- the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species -- which provides a strong basis to restrict their harvest and export," Dr Wolfe said.

"Yet two of these species, the white and black teatfish, represented
more than 20 per cent of the Queensland fishery's recent total catch.

"Populations of teatfish are most at risk because of their high market
value and poor reproduction.

"In fact, black teatfish numbers have not recovered since their fishery
was closed in 1999 due to overharvest -- although the fishery reopened
in 2019.

"In December 2021, we saw a ray of hope, when the federal Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley supported the CITES listing, and in recognition
of their perilous state determined that black teatfish harvest would
not be permitted.



========================================================================== "It's a great win for one of our 10 endangered or vulnerable sea
cucumbers, but further policy interventions are needed to ensure other sea cucumber populations don't start teetering toward extinction." Fellow investigator, Professor Maria Byrne from The University of Sydney, said effective statutory regulation was essential for protecting sea cucumbers.

"The Great Barrier Reef sea cucumber fishery has long been operating
under what's known as a non-regulatory -- and therefore a non-binding -- Performance Measurement System," Professor Byrne said.

"This system recommended regular assessment of sea cucumber stocks,
but these weren't done, so industry has been operating without any real
idea of their harvests' impact on stock sustainability.

"Going forward it'll be essential to have a statutory regulated and
enforced policy framework for regular independent stock assessments for
all tropical sea cucumber species harvested on the Great Barrier Reef.

"Only then would we be able to assess what is sustainable harvest
and identify species-specific interventions, hopefully avoiding
local extinction of these ecologically important sea cucumber
species on the Great Barrier Reef." "This is essential for
the health of the reef and provides an important contribution
to meeting the Australian and Queensland Governments' Reef 2050
plan, ensuring the UNESCO "at-risk" status of the Great Barrier
Reef is avoided, and for Queensland Department of Agriculture
and Fisheries to meet its latest Sustainable Fisheries Strategy." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Queensland. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Related Multimedia:
* The_prickly_redfish ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Kennedy Wolfe, Maria Byrne. Overview of the Great Barrier Reef sea
cucumber fishery with focus on vulnerable and endangered species.

Biological Conservation, 2022; 266: 109451 DOI: 10.1016/
j.biocon.2022.109451 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220211102721.htm

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