Population status, fisheries and trade of sea cucumbers in the Western Central Pacific

In the Western Central Pacific region, most sea cucumber fisheries have exhibited boomand- bust cycles since the late nineteenth century. Since the 1980s, elevated export prices and demand from Asian markets have been the catalysts for increased fishing. At many localities, high-value species have been depleted and previously unfished species are now exploited. The sustainability of these fisheries is of widespread concern. Australia and Melanesian countries are the largest exporters of beche-de-mer in the region. While annual exports from Melanesian countries have not declined markedly over the last two decades, those from Polynesia and Micronesia have. The declining exports appear to be attributed to unsustainable fishing pressure and naturally low abundances of many commercial species in remote Pacific islands and atolls. Currently, 35 sea cucumber species in the families Holothuriidae and Stichopodidae are thought to be harvested. Greater endemicity occurs in Melanesian countries with sea cucumber species richness generally declining eastward of Papua New Guinea (PNG). On average, 13 species are harvested per country.