262
catches per year, were contributed together by the Philippines and Indonesia during
2000 and 2005. Japan as the largest capture fishery producer of the temperate species (A. japonicus), produced an average of 8101 t per year between the period 2000
and 2005 (Bordbar et al. 2011).
Sea cucumber is a premium product with large popularity in China, the largest
producer of this seafood and its related products. The Chinese sea cucumber farming industry showed an overall stable trend in 2017. Farm-gate prices have continued an upward trend in the past 2 years. Production volumes and stocked amounts
have also increased significantly. Total production of sea cucumber in China
amounted to 200,000 tonnes in 2017. The provinces of Shandong, Liaoning, and
Fujian led the national supply, contributing with 100,000 tonnes (50%), 70,000
tonnes (35%), and 20,000 tonnes (10%), respectively. The Hebei province produced
10,000 tonnes, while other provinces accounted for the remainder 5%. In 2017, the
total output value of sea cucumber products reached nearly CNY 30 billion1 (USD
4.44 billion) in China (FAO-Globefish 2018).
Countries trading sea cucumbers export to one of the three main centers, where
they are re-exported, mostly to Chinese consumers around the world (Bruckner
et al. 2003).
4.3.1.4 Fishery of Sea Cucumbers
Harvesting sea cucumbers is done by hand from intertidal waters or diving from
deeper waters. Fishing gears often damage the skin of sea cucumbers in deep water,
which leads to poor quality of the final product (Mathews et al. 1990). The divers
usually store the harvested sea cucumbers in sacks, while the reef collectors store
them in containers or buckets with clean sea water.
The traditional dive-fishing method for sea cucumber is still being used in northern China, the only difference being that the diver’s equipment and the containers
for storing the sea cucumbers have been improved. In general, divers leave the boat,
seek sea cucumber visually between 2 and 20 m depth, and then collect them by
hand and store them in mesh bags tied to their waist. The bags are made of nylon or
polypropylene rope, with a mesh size of 0.5–1.0 cm, a length of 60–80 cm, an opening diameter of 15–20 cm, and a bottom diameter of 40–50 cm. The divers work
underwater for about 1–2 h, less in winter when lower water temperatures prevail
(Liu et al. 2015).
Only larger individuals should be collected during harvest, while smaller ones
should be left to mature and grow to the length required for harvest (Purcell
et al. 2012).
Sea cucumber should be kept away from sunlight to prevent the skin from drying
out, causing the end product to spoil. High-value species are usually kept on a flat
surface in a single layer, away from sunlight, until treated. If stacked on top of each
other, the body wall may break, and this will decrease its value (Ram 2017).
4 Echinoderms
catches per year, were contributed together by the Philippines and Indonesia during
2000 and 2005. Japan as the largest capture fishery producer of the temperate species (A. japonicus), produced an average of 8101 t per year between the period 2000
and 2005 (Bordbar et al. 2011).
Sea cucumber is a premium product with large popularity in China, the largest
producer of this seafood and its related products. The Chinese sea cucumber farming industry showed an overall stable trend in 2017. Farm-gate prices have continued an upward trend in the past 2 years. Production volumes and stocked amounts
have also increased significantly. Total production of sea cucumber in China
amounted to 200,000 tonnes in 2017. The provinces of Shandong, Liaoning, and
Fujian led the national supply, contributing with 100,000 tonnes (50%), 70,000
tonnes (35%), and 20,000 tonnes (10%), respectively. The Hebei province produced
10,000 tonnes, while other provinces accounted for the remainder 5%. In 2017, the
total output value of sea cucumber products reached nearly CNY 30 billion1 (USD
4.44 billion) in China (FAO-Globefish 2018).
Countries trading sea cucumbers export to one of the three main centers, where
they are re-exported, mostly to Chinese consumers around the world (Bruckner
et al. 2003).
4.3.1.4 Fishery of Sea Cucumbers
Harvesting sea cucumbers is done by hand from intertidal waters or diving from
deeper waters. Fishing gears often damage the skin of sea cucumbers in deep water,
which leads to poor quality of the final product (Mathews et al. 1990). The divers
usually store the harvested sea cucumbers in sacks, while the reef collectors store
them in containers or buckets with clean sea water.
The traditional dive-fishing method for sea cucumber is still being used in northern China, the only difference being that the diver’s equipment and the containers
for storing the sea cucumbers have been improved. In general, divers leave the boat,
seek sea cucumber visually between 2 and 20 m depth, and then collect them by
hand and store them in mesh bags tied to their waist. The bags are made of nylon or
polypropylene rope, with a mesh size of 0.5–1.0 cm, a length of 60–80 cm, an opening diameter of 15–20 cm, and a bottom diameter of 40–50 cm. The divers work
underwater for about 1–2 h, less in winter when lower water temperatures prevail
(Liu et al. 2015).
Only larger individuals should be collected during harvest, while smaller ones
should be left to mature and grow to the length required for harvest (Purcell
et al. 2012).
Sea cucumber should be kept away from sunlight to prevent the skin from drying
out, causing the end product to spoil. High-value species are usually kept on a flat
surface in a single layer, away from sunlight, until treated. If stacked on top of each
other, the body wall may break, and this will decrease its value (Ram 2017).
4 Echinoderms