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A guide to northern sea cucumbers

The biology and management of Cucumaria frondosa











Mercier, A., Penney, H.D., Ma, K.C.K., Lovatelli, A. & Hamel, J-F. 2023. A guide to northern sea cucumbers ­– The biology and management of Cucumaria frondosa. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper, No. 700. Rome, FAO. 



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    Commercially important sea cucumbers of the world 2023
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    Sea cucumbers are harvested and traded in more than 90 countries worldwide. They are exploited in industrial and small-scale fisheries, nearly from pole to pole, especially in the tropics. In some fisheries, more than 20 species are exploited by fishers. Fishers in general know how to distinguish the species they harvest, often identifying them with local names. For fishery officers and even biologists, recognizing sea cucumber species remains daunting however as they are confronted only with the final product: bêche-de-mer (or trepang) which is the processed (cooked and dried) product. This field guide offers a tool for fishery managers, scientists, trade officers and industry workers to recognize live and processed (cooked and dried) animals. This animal resource is mainly exported to Asian markets where it is sold mainly, but not exclusively, as a luxury food item. This book provides identification information on 84 species of sea cucumbers that are commonly or opportunistically (as bycatch) exploited around the world. The list is certainly not all-encompassing, as some other sea cucumber species are also exploited. More scientific data and accounts are needed for species from some regions such as the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. The accounts are based on more than 270 reports and research articles and on comments and reviews by taxonomists and field workers. Two-page identification sheets provide selected information to enable similar species to be distinguished from each other, both in the live and processed (dried) forms. Where available, the following information for each species has been included: scientific and known common names used in different countries and regions; scientific illustrations of the body and ossicles; descriptions of ossicles present in different body parts; a colour photograph of live and dried specimens; basic information on size, habitat, biology, fisheries, human consumption, market value and trade; geographic distribution maps. The volume is fully indexed and contains an introduction, a glossary, simplified dichotomous keys to live animals and dried products and a dedicated bibliography. Readers are encouraged to base their identifications on a combination of morphological features, samples of ossicles from different body parts and information on what habitat and locality the species was found.
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    Sea cucumbers - A global review of fisheries and trade 2008
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    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 sustain able 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 cons ervation and exploitation.
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    The utilization of sea cucumbers for human consumption and other uses has been steadily growing over the years. Up-to-date information on the present status of world sea cucumber resources and utilization is presented with special focus on those countries such as China PR, Ecuador, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines which have been heavily engaged in the industry for decades. Information from other countries such as Cuba, Egypt, Madagascar and Tanzania, relative new comers to the sec tor, is also provided indicating to some extent the growing interest with regards to the exploitation of holothurians for the demanding Asian markets. Information on technical advances made in the artificial reproduction and farming of selected commercial species is presented. This document includes the recommendations formulated during the FAO Workshop on Advances in Sea Cucumber Aquaculture and Management (ASCAM) held in Dalian, People's Republic of China, in October 2003, along with the techn ical papers presented. The report will be useful to those international and regional development organizations and national governments who wish to prioritize their activities concerning sea cucumber conservation and exploitation.

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