The ocean covers over 70% of the world’s surface. But despite its size, it is under pressure. Many fishes, organisms, and other creatures living in the open seas are facing overfishing. Sea cucumbers are on this list – but one organisation in the Philippines is working to save it. By Henrylito D. Tacio

Philippines, September 2020. Due to overharvesting, the strange yet tasty sea cucumbers are under threat. The curious marine invertebrates with the shape of the vegetable fruit come in a multitude of shapes and sizes. All are prized for eating. As an archipelago, the Philippines is blessed with a high diversity of sea cucumbers which inhabit its seagrass beds, soft bottom areas, and reefs. It is home to about 200 species of sea cucumbers, with 40 of those seen as commercially important.

For centuries, sea cucumbers – which are echinoderms just like starfish and sea urchins – have long been a staple in diets, mainly in soups, stews and stir-fries. They are highly nutritious, described as “tonic food” and provide more protein and less fat than most foods. Most are processed and sold as “trepang,” which is easier to store and handle than the fresh product. More recently, an emerging market for sea cucumbers has been in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. They are used for in Traditional Chinese Medicine for weakness, impotence, debility of the aged, constipation due to intestinal dryness, and frequent urination.

Sea cucumber is becoming an expensive delicacy - Dr. Rafael Guerrero

As a result, a steady demand for sea cucumbers has made sea cucumber harvesting an attractive source of income for many Filipinos. In many coastal villages, the income from it constitutes a significant portion of the local livelihood. “The country has been a major exporter of the processed trepang for the last several centuries,” said a document published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

But as demand continues to escalate, the price goes up and supply dwindles – to the extent that the sea cucumber population is now in jeopardy. In Asia and the Pacific region, the most sought-after species are largely depleted.

“A kilo of dried sea cucumbers can sell as much as US$100 in the local market and US$250 in the export market,” said Dr. Guerrero, former director of the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development.

Trepang. It may not look tasty, but thousands of tonnes are eaten every year. Courtesy BFAR.

One research outfit, the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) noted that overfishing has brought a significant decline in sea cucumbers in coastal seagrass beds and coral reefs feeding on organic matter. So much so that the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has banned the catching and trading of three species (Holothuria fuscogilva, H. nobilis, and H. whitmaei) of sea cucumbers.

But there is good news. In 2016, PCAARRD launched a program that should restore sea cucumber harvesting to an economic activity and establish a sustainable and globally competitive industry. One which helps provide equitable economic benefits yet maintains the biodiversity of the sea cucumber industry.

Two approaches were developed to the program. The first approach was to increase production of premium-grade size sea cucumbers through public-private partnerships, coupled with grow-out production systems engaging commercial and local fishers and the support of the local government.

Through this approach, local Filipino producers are now able to culture sandfish, Holothuria scabra (a species of sea cucumber) in a hatchery being piloted by BFAR. The hatchery produces 60,000 “juvenile” sea cucumbers every month, which can be distributed to farmers who can then start culturing them in existing fish ponds, or for sea ranching where they are released into the wild where they can be harvested later.

Seaborne pens successfully act as hatcheries for the sea cucumber. Courtesy BFAR.

“This integration of sandfish culture technology to existing marine aquaculture facilities and the availability of low-cost nursery systems has opened opportunities,” PCAARRD reports. “Sandfish culture may potentially reduce the harvesting pressure on the wild sandfish population and allow them to rest and recuperate.”

Given this recent development, there could be a significantly brighter future for sea cucumbers in the Philippines.