The sea cucumber, more commonly known in Sri Lanka as the muhudu kudella, or muhudu kakiri, is an aquatic species found along the Northwestern and Eastern coasts of the island where major sea cucumber fishing areas are established. As a species, the sea cucumber is quite commercially valuable and provides a livelihood for thousands of families. However, high prices, accessibility and the ease with which they are harvested have led to overfishing and declining stocks, posing a threat to sustainability.
Sea cucumbers are soft-bodied, slow-moving animals that live on the seafloor and are easy pickings for men who wade or dive in. In deeper waters, they are collected by skin divers and scuba divers who dive from traditional ‘oru’ or motorised boats. After being harvested, the creatures are gutted, boiled, salted and dried, turning them into bêche-demer – the dried salted version of the animal that is then shipped to markets across East and Southeast Asia.
Sea cucumber is a valued delicacy in Chinese cuisine often served at important dinners and banquets. The Chinese also believe that it has certain medicinal properties – as a disease preventive, sexual rejuvenator, and longevity tonic.
Sea cucumber harvesting is an incredibly lucrative market, and as a result in Sri Lanka many fishermen have opted to engage in sea cucumber farming, and a small industry has exploded along the coastal belt of our island. At present sea cucumber fisheries are confined to the northern cap stretching from Kalpitiya on the Northwestern coast through the Puttalam Islands around the Gulf of Mannar, Trincomalee, Pottuvil, and Kalmunai in the Northeastern and Eastern coastal waters.
The tragic plight
According to Lenin De Silva, who specialises in ocean sciences at the Faculty of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Ocean University of Sri Lanka, the plight of the sea cucumber in our island is a tragic one. De Silva shared with Brunch that while several years ago, the sea cucumber was an abundantly available species (with 24 recorded species in Sri Lanka readily available in coasts around the island) which could be harvested by simply walking past the sea bed, over-exploiting of the resource has led to great depletion of sea cucumbers in the island. “In the past it was a matter of picking sea cucumbers by hand, but now we must use divers to pick sea cucumbers,” De Silva said.
Sri Lanka has around 20 species of sea cucumbers that are of commercial interest, with De Silva explaining that the main species of commercial interest are the deep water redfish, blackfish, surf redfish, tiger fish, lolly fish, amber fish, and sandfish, etc. However, he noted that recent studies have found less numbers in these commercial species which indicates for certain that some species are on the brink of extinction or in very low numbers.
Removing sea cucumbers in unsustainable ways results in serious impacts on coastal ecosystems, as sea cucumbers are ideal for bioremediation, which is a process that uses mainly micro-organisms, plants, or microbial or plant enzymes to detoxify contaminants in the soil and other environments. Giving us more context, De Silva said: “These organisms help in nutrient cycling, redistribution of sediments and are considered as excellent bioremediators which helps other species such as corals to live, and also helps in fisheries.”
The Chinese hatcheries
De Silva also addressed the hatcheries set up by the Chinese in the North to harvest sea cucumbers, explaining that a Chinese firm started a hatchery five years ago, a joint venture established in Jaffna’s coastal village of Ariyalai. The project began when many northern fishermen were finding it harder to catch large fish because of excessive bottom trawling employed by Indian vessels which has since been outlawed.
While there are pros and cons to the practice, De Silva said these hatcheries do provide a certain alternative where farmers could breed the creatures and continue to engage in the trade as opposed to the fishing of wild sea cucumbers, whose rapidly decreasing population in the island is incredibly alarming.
However, as a negative, De Silva noted that there is no certification acquired by these hatcheries, as usually they would have to gain permits form the National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA). In issuing such a permit, the NAQDA would launch a survey in order to assess the opinions of the existing fisherman in and about the intended area to gain their perspective of a foreign entrant into the industry.
Speaking to some of the locals in the northern coastal belt affected by the foreign companies utilising the coast to carry out their farming, we discovered that many of the fishermen in the North have nearly half a century of experience in the fisheries industry, and if they were given the opportunity, they could have done this farming and carried out the hatcheries themselves. They noted that while these foreign companies that are coming in may say that they are only here to develop the industry, what they are doing is exploiting our resources.
One local fisherman from Jaffna said: “In the beginning, a Chinese company was engaged in sea cucumber breeding here and initially they were supposed to supply enough sea cucumber hatchlings to a number of sea cucumber farms in the Northern Province. But later it was revealed that they may not even have the correct licensing to carry this out and to actually set up farms here.”
They said that even if the fishery is unregulated, you still have to obtain a licence from The National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) for diving, collecting, transportation, and export.
Sea cucumber farming as a business
Due to the depleting natural sea cucumber populations, hatcheries appear to be the way to go. And in 2015, SL Aquatech International commenced commercial seed production of sea cucumber (Holothuria scabra) in what was the very first commercial hatchery established in Sri Lanka. Supervised by the NAQDA, the company launched their hatchery at Ambakandawila, Chilaw, on a small-scale, and has produced advanced juveniles in nursery ponds at Muthupanthiya.
The sea cucumber, considering its centuries old history, is unlikely to become a protected species any time soon. However, according to Lenin De Silva, as of now we can see a singular species that is listed under the protected category of royal sea cucumber. With the attention the industry has received in the recent past, De Silva shared the hope that there is potential for further protection of the species. He also noted that with the emergence of these regulated hatcheries, it can be assumed that in the near future we will be able to come up with a satisfactory solution which protects the species, allows its growth, while also supplementing the sea cucumber industry.
