Sea cucumbers in danger of being depleted

English: A grouping of small sea cucumbers in Komodo National Park. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The pelagic sea cucumber Enypniastes, swims so gracefully above the mud bottom that they are often confused with jellyfish. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

ROME: Sea cucumbers, a key ingredient of some Asian dishes, are overfished, with some species depleted because of growing demand, a United Nations agency has said.

A Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report said sea cucumbers, otherwise known as sea slugs, are also threatened by global warming and loss of habitat. It urged measures to protect them to be taken, including catch quotas and monitoring of stocks.

Most high-value commercial species have been depleted, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, while stocks are overfished in the African and Indian Ocean regions.

With an elongated body and leathery skin, sea cucumbers are mainly used in soups and stews, or stuffed and pickled.

According to the Rome-based FAO, Asia and the Pacific are the top producing regions.

Sea cucumbers are also used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

– ASSOCIATED PRESS


From myPaper, My News, World
Monday, 06-April-2009


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