regulated since holothurians are considered threatened species due to unauthorized
fisheries for overseas smuggling (Decree No. 36 Ministry of the Environment and
Natural Resources; Diario Oficial No. 383 (103) 5 June 2009, p. 75). The activity
stopped after legal prosecutions and holothurians are recolonizing depleted areas.
In Costa Rica sea cucumber fisheries are forbidden from any MPA, but an official
decree (N823.138/MAG; La Gaceta N880, 27th April 1994, p. 4) of the Ministry of
Agriculture establishes a maximum of ten permits for artisanal fishers for fisheries
of sea cucumbers of the species Holothuria inornata and Isostichopus fuscus. The
decree established a maximum of 1,200 sea cucumbers per fisher per month per
defined area. The permit is for two months between October and April and the sea
cucumbers can be disembarked only at official ports. They are subject to inspection
and fishermen have to present a monthly report. We have contacted the Costa
Rican authority (Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura-INCOPESCA) to
get more information about the decree and its implementation, because there was
no baseline investigation to establish the quotas or the target species, or any
research about the status of the populations, or reproduction seasons for the
establishment of that decree. The answer from the national authority is contradictory. Some officials tell us that there is no sea cucumbers fishery at the present.
Other officials said that there are Japanese and Mexican carrying out this activity
on the North Pacific coast of the country. There are no records of any permit
granted. According to Toral-Granda (2008), in a Global FAO report of sea
cucumber fishery, Hong Kong imported from Costa Rica 1,268 kg dry weight of
sea cucumbers from 1999 to 2004 (1999: 108 kg; 2000: 664 kg; 2001: 325 kg;
2003: 7 kg; 2004: 164 kg). One threat to sea cucumbers in Costa Rica, and
probably for the rest of CA, is the lack of coordination, register, control and
patrolling by the national authorities, INCOPESCA and the ministry of Agriculture, the Environment and Foreign Trade.
Toral-Granda (2008) indicated that sea cucumber fishing activities in Nicaragua
dated back to 1994 where the first exports are recorded. In 2005, oriental traders
requested a permit to exploit this resource. A one-year permit was granted while
scientific research was undertaken on the Pacific coast. No taxonomic information
exists on the species harvested during that year. Currently three species are known
to be commercially harvested. At least another seven unidentified sea cucumbers
are harvested. In the Pacific coast, the most important species is I. fuscus. In the
Caribbean, the most important species are H. mexicana, H. arenicola and
I. badionotus. All products are exported to China and Taiwan as there is no
consumption in Nicaragua. Toral-Granda (2008) indicated that Hong Kong
reported imports from Nicaragua involving 6,078 kg dry weight from 2003
to 2005 (2003: 252 kg; 2005: 5,826 kg). Currently, no sea cucumber fishing
activities are regulated. However, there is a plan to start applying total allowable
catches and fishing seasons to both Pacific and Caribbean species in Nicaragua
(Toral-Granda 2008).
By-catch is one of the most significant issues affecting fisheries management
today, due to the incidental mortality of non-target species. This affects biodiversity and trophic food webs (Hall et al. 2000). According to Allan Bolaños
3 Central America Echinoderms: Diversity, Ecology and Future Perspectives
97
fisheries for overseas smuggling (Decree No. 36 Ministry of the Environment and
Natural Resources; Diario Oficial No. 383 (103) 5 June 2009, p. 75). The activity
stopped after legal prosecutions and holothurians are recolonizing depleted areas.
In Costa Rica sea cucumber fisheries are forbidden from any MPA, but an official
decree (N823.138/MAG; La Gaceta N880, 27th April 1994, p. 4) of the Ministry of
Agriculture establishes a maximum of ten permits for artisanal fishers for fisheries
of sea cucumbers of the species Holothuria inornata and Isostichopus fuscus. The
decree established a maximum of 1,200 sea cucumbers per fisher per month per
defined area. The permit is for two months between October and April and the sea
cucumbers can be disembarked only at official ports. They are subject to inspection
and fishermen have to present a monthly report. We have contacted the Costa
Rican authority (Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura-INCOPESCA) to
get more information about the decree and its implementation, because there was
no baseline investigation to establish the quotas or the target species, or any
research about the status of the populations, or reproduction seasons for the
establishment of that decree. The answer from the national authority is contradictory. Some officials tell us that there is no sea cucumbers fishery at the present.
Other officials said that there are Japanese and Mexican carrying out this activity
on the North Pacific coast of the country. There are no records of any permit
granted. According to Toral-Granda (2008), in a Global FAO report of sea
cucumber fishery, Hong Kong imported from Costa Rica 1,268 kg dry weight of
sea cucumbers from 1999 to 2004 (1999: 108 kg; 2000: 664 kg; 2001: 325 kg;
2003: 7 kg; 2004: 164 kg). One threat to sea cucumbers in Costa Rica, and
probably for the rest of CA, is the lack of coordination, register, control and
patrolling by the national authorities, INCOPESCA and the ministry of Agriculture, the Environment and Foreign Trade.
Toral-Granda (2008) indicated that sea cucumber fishing activities in Nicaragua
dated back to 1994 where the first exports are recorded. In 2005, oriental traders
requested a permit to exploit this resource. A one-year permit was granted while
scientific research was undertaken on the Pacific coast. No taxonomic information
exists on the species harvested during that year. Currently three species are known
to be commercially harvested. At least another seven unidentified sea cucumbers
are harvested. In the Pacific coast, the most important species is I. fuscus. In the
Caribbean, the most important species are H. mexicana, H. arenicola and
I. badionotus. All products are exported to China and Taiwan as there is no
consumption in Nicaragua. Toral-Granda (2008) indicated that Hong Kong
reported imports from Nicaragua involving 6,078 kg dry weight from 2003
to 2005 (2003: 252 kg; 2005: 5,826 kg). Currently, no sea cucumber fishing
activities are regulated. However, there is a plan to start applying total allowable
catches and fishing seasons to both Pacific and Caribbean species in Nicaragua
(Toral-Granda 2008).
By-catch is one of the most significant issues affecting fisheries management
today, due to the incidental mortality of non-target species. This affects biodiversity and trophic food webs (Hall et al. 2000). According to Allan Bolaños
3 Central America Echinoderms: Diversity, Ecology and Future Perspectives
97