Population status, fisheries and trade of sea cucumbers in the Western Central Pacific

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Coastal fisheries

In the Western Central Pacific region, most sea cucumber fisheries have exhibited boomand-bust cycles since the late nineteenth century. Since the 1980s, elevated export prices and demand from Asian markets have been the catalysts for increased fishing. At many localities, high-value species have been depleted and previously unfished species are now exploited. The sustainability of these fisheries is of widespread concern.