Sea cucumber

Sea cucumbers like the sandfish species (Holothuria scabra) are a traditional commodity used for dietary and medicinal purposes in China and elsewhere in Asia. For many years, their harvest has supported livelihoods in coastal communities throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Yet their ease of capture, biological vulnerability, and expanding consumer base in middle-income China has led to precipitous declines in wild stocks. For example, in the Philippines, annual catches are now less than 30% of those enjoyed 25 years ago.