6.4 Fisheries and Aquaculture
6.4.1 Sea Cucumbers
Isostichopus fuscus
Sea cucumbers received little or no attention from the scientific community in
Ecuador prior to the beginning of commercial harvesting of I. fuscus in the early
1990s (Aguilar et al. 1993; Richmond and Martínez 1993; Sonnenholzner 1997).
Since then, most studies focused on the biology of this species and other potentially commercial species (such as S. horrens and H. theeli (Sonnenholzner 2003;
Mercier et al. 2004; Hearn 2005, Hearn and Pinillos 2006; Toral-Granda and
Martínez 2007), on the social and political implications of the fishery, especially in
the Galápagos Islands (Bremner and Pérez 2002), and on the potential for aquaculture (Mercier et al. 2004). In addition, the Charles Darwin Foundation in
Galápagos undertook a long term subtidal rocky reef monitoring program to obtain
information on the size and abundance of the sea cucumbers found in the Galápagos Islands was recorded (Murillo et al. 2002a). No studies have been done in
Ecuador mainland.
About 40 species of commercial sea cucumbers, including I. fuscus are harvested throughout the world’s oceans (Conand 2004). The fishery of I. fuscus has
been relatively well documented since the start of its legal fishery in 1999. This
fishery began in the mainland Ecuador in 1988. Four years later it was centered
mainly on the western side of the Galápagos Archipelago because the sea
cucumber population rapidly collapsed on the mainland. This caused the transfer
of fishing activity to migrate to the Galápagos Islands (Aguilar et al. 1993; De Paco
et al. 1993; Camhi 1995; Powell and Gibbs 1995). At least 100 fishers, mainly
from continental Ecuador, began exploiting sea cucumbers in Galápagos in 1992
(Shepherd et al. 2004) although the first signs of sea cucumber harvesting were
detected in 1991 (Carranza-Barona and Andrade-Echeverría 1996). Nevertheless
the incipient fishery lacked any form of regulations or technical guidelines for its
sustainable management (Martínez 2001). After several years of unregulated
exploitation, an experimental fishery was opened in 1994, with a catch quota of
500,000 individuals over a 2-month period. However, the fishing season was
closed after 6 weeks, with an estimated catch of 8–12 million sea cucumbers (De
Miras et al. 1996). Ecuador’s General Fisheries Direction reported that ten companies were exporting dried sea cucumbers. Data showed that sea cucumber
fishery was less than 0.04 t (fresh total weight) from 1983 to 1988 and 50.3 t from
1989 to 1995. The highest catch (30 t) was reported in 1995. These products were
all exported, 67 % to the U.S. and 33 % to Taiwan. The maximum value paid per
net kg in Ecuador was USD$30 (Sonnenholzner 1997). Although it is not the most
valued sea cucumber species (Conand 2004), this species has been recognized as
an important food item in the Chinese market. Sonnenholzner et al. (1997)
determined the proximate composition of the body wall of I. fuscus collected in
April 1993 at the eastern coast of the Fernandina Island along the Bolívar Channel
6 Echinoderms of Ecuador
217
6.4.1 Sea Cucumbers
Isostichopus fuscus
Sea cucumbers received little or no attention from the scientific community in
Ecuador prior to the beginning of commercial harvesting of I. fuscus in the early
1990s (Aguilar et al. 1993; Richmond and Martínez 1993; Sonnenholzner 1997).
Since then, most studies focused on the biology of this species and other potentially commercial species (such as S. horrens and H. theeli (Sonnenholzner 2003;
Mercier et al. 2004; Hearn 2005, Hearn and Pinillos 2006; Toral-Granda and
Martínez 2007), on the social and political implications of the fishery, especially in
the Galápagos Islands (Bremner and Pérez 2002), and on the potential for aquaculture (Mercier et al. 2004). In addition, the Charles Darwin Foundation in
Galápagos undertook a long term subtidal rocky reef monitoring program to obtain
information on the size and abundance of the sea cucumbers found in the Galápagos Islands was recorded (Murillo et al. 2002a). No studies have been done in
Ecuador mainland.
About 40 species of commercial sea cucumbers, including I. fuscus are harvested throughout the world’s oceans (Conand 2004). The fishery of I. fuscus has
been relatively well documented since the start of its legal fishery in 1999. This
fishery began in the mainland Ecuador in 1988. Four years later it was centered
mainly on the western side of the Galápagos Archipelago because the sea
cucumber population rapidly collapsed on the mainland. This caused the transfer
of fishing activity to migrate to the Galápagos Islands (Aguilar et al. 1993; De Paco
et al. 1993; Camhi 1995; Powell and Gibbs 1995). At least 100 fishers, mainly
from continental Ecuador, began exploiting sea cucumbers in Galápagos in 1992
(Shepherd et al. 2004) although the first signs of sea cucumber harvesting were
detected in 1991 (Carranza-Barona and Andrade-Echeverría 1996). Nevertheless
the incipient fishery lacked any form of regulations or technical guidelines for its
sustainable management (Martínez 2001). After several years of unregulated
exploitation, an experimental fishery was opened in 1994, with a catch quota of
500,000 individuals over a 2-month period. However, the fishing season was
closed after 6 weeks, with an estimated catch of 8–12 million sea cucumbers (De
Miras et al. 1996). Ecuador’s General Fisheries Direction reported that ten companies were exporting dried sea cucumbers. Data showed that sea cucumber
fishery was less than 0.04 t (fresh total weight) from 1983 to 1988 and 50.3 t from
1989 to 1995. The highest catch (30 t) was reported in 1995. These products were
all exported, 67 % to the U.S. and 33 % to Taiwan. The maximum value paid per
net kg in Ecuador was USD$30 (Sonnenholzner 1997). Although it is not the most
valued sea cucumber species (Conand 2004), this species has been recognized as
an important food item in the Chinese market. Sonnenholzner et al. (1997)
determined the proximate composition of the body wall of I. fuscus collected in
April 1993 at the eastern coast of the Fernandina Island along the Bolívar Channel
6 Echinoderms of Ecuador
217