Save the Cucumbers?

摘要

When it comes to overfishing, tuna and sharks tend to hog the limelight. But spare a thought for the sea cucumbers. These elongated, leathery echinoderms, used in Asian soups and medicine, are being rapidly depleted, according to the first quantitative global analysis, published online 30 December in Fish and Fisheries. Marine ecologists Heike Lotze and Sean Anderson of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, and colleagues analyzed global catch data and, where available, management reports from regional authorities. They found that 81% of sea cucumber fisheries have declined, many substantially. Meanwhile, the rising demand for the creatures, which can fetch up to $400 per kilogram dry weight, has made fisheries start to decline much sooner than before—typically after 6 years rather than the 34 years it took in 1960.