263
It has been reported that sea cucumber stocks are under the risk of excessive
exploitation due to its limited and irregular distribution, easy collection, and slow
recycling of overfishing (Bumrasarinpai 2006).
4.3.1.5 Some Important Species of Sea Cucumbers
Among the approximately 1200 known species of sea cucumber, some 70 are harvested worldwide. Sea cucumbers belong to the class Holothuroidea and so are also
referred to as holothurians. Most species harvested commercially belong to the
order Aspidochirotida, specifically to the families Holothuriidae and Stichopodidae,
and are mostly tropical. A few species belonging to the order Dendrochirotida, family Cucumariidae, are also fished commercially. Species in the orders Apodida,
Dactylochirotida, Elasipodida and Molpadida are mostly not fished (Purcell
et al. 2012).
The main sea cucumber species grown in aquaculture are A. japonicus (temperate species), Isostichopus fuscus (tropical species), and Holothuria scabra (tropical
species) (Xu et al. 2015).
Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka, 1867)
Apostichopus japonicus is a species of sea cucumber in the family Stichopodidae. It
is found in shallow temperate waters along the coasts of south east Asia. The
Japanese sea cucumber is found along the coast of Russia, China, Japan and Korea.
The range extends from Alaska and Sakhalin Island to the Amami Islands, Japan.
The Japanese sea cucumber sifts through the sediment on the seabed with its tentacles and feeds on detritus and other organic matter including plant and animal
remains, bacteria, protozoa, diatoms, and faeces. It lives in temperate seas. In locations where the water heats up excessively in summer it undergoes aestivation,
going into a state of dormancy. The threshold temperature is about 25 °C. The
Japanese sea cucumber is used for food. The largest fishery is in Japan. Fishing
methods include diving and hand collection at depths of up to 20 m and the use of
trawls at greater depths (Wikipedia 2020b).
Halothurian edulis (Lesson, 1830)
Holothuria edulis, commonly known as the edible sea cucumber or the pink and
black sea cucumber, is a species of echinoderm in the family Holothuriidae.
Holothuria edulis is a medium-sized sea cucumber reaching a length of about
30 cm, is a common and widespread species in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. It lives on
the seabed at depths down to 20 m. Its range extends from the Red Sea and East
African coast to Sri Lanka, Japan, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, northern
Australia, and various Pacific islands. It is found in several different habitats including on sandy or muddy substrates, on coral rubble and in seagrass meadows. It can
be found on inner and outer reef flats, on back reef slopes and in lagoons
(Wikipedia 2020c).
4.3 Sea Cucumbers
It has been reported that sea cucumber stocks are under the risk of excessive
exploitation due to its limited and irregular distribution, easy collection, and slow
recycling of overfishing (Bumrasarinpai 2006).
4.3.1.5 Some Important Species of Sea Cucumbers
Among the approximately 1200 known species of sea cucumber, some 70 are harvested worldwide. Sea cucumbers belong to the class Holothuroidea and so are also
referred to as holothurians. Most species harvested commercially belong to the
order Aspidochirotida, specifically to the families Holothuriidae and Stichopodidae,
and are mostly tropical. A few species belonging to the order Dendrochirotida, family Cucumariidae, are also fished commercially. Species in the orders Apodida,
Dactylochirotida, Elasipodida and Molpadida are mostly not fished (Purcell
et al. 2012).
The main sea cucumber species grown in aquaculture are A. japonicus (temperate species), Isostichopus fuscus (tropical species), and Holothuria scabra (tropical
species) (Xu et al. 2015).
Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka, 1867)
Apostichopus japonicus is a species of sea cucumber in the family Stichopodidae. It
is found in shallow temperate waters along the coasts of south east Asia. The
Japanese sea cucumber is found along the coast of Russia, China, Japan and Korea.
The range extends from Alaska and Sakhalin Island to the Amami Islands, Japan.
The Japanese sea cucumber sifts through the sediment on the seabed with its tentacles and feeds on detritus and other organic matter including plant and animal
remains, bacteria, protozoa, diatoms, and faeces. It lives in temperate seas. In locations where the water heats up excessively in summer it undergoes aestivation,
going into a state of dormancy. The threshold temperature is about 25 °C. The
Japanese sea cucumber is used for food. The largest fishery is in Japan. Fishing
methods include diving and hand collection at depths of up to 20 m and the use of
trawls at greater depths (Wikipedia 2020b).
Halothurian edulis (Lesson, 1830)
Holothuria edulis, commonly known as the edible sea cucumber or the pink and
black sea cucumber, is a species of echinoderm in the family Holothuriidae.
Holothuria edulis is a medium-sized sea cucumber reaching a length of about
30 cm, is a common and widespread species in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. It lives on
the seabed at depths down to 20 m. Its range extends from the Red Sea and East
African coast to Sri Lanka, Japan, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, northern
Australia, and various Pacific islands. It is found in several different habitats including on sandy or muddy substrates, on coral rubble and in seagrass meadows. It can
be found on inner and outer reef flats, on back reef slopes and in lagoons
(Wikipedia 2020c).
4.3 Sea Cucumbers