Proceedings of the CITES Workshop on the Conservation of Sea Cucumbers in the Families Holothuridae and Stichopodidae, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

The CITES Workshop on the Conservation of Sea Cucumbers in the Families Holothuriidae and Stichopodidae (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 1-3, 2004) was convened to review biological, fishery and trade information for commercially important sea cucumber species, and identify possible national, regional and international conservation mechanisms to ensure that the harvest and trade in these species is sustainable. The workshop was attended by 56 representatives from governments of exporting and importing countries, universities, industry, and NGOs. On the first day, background information was presented on 1) the biology, taxonomy and distribution of commercially important sea cucumbers species; 2) the main species in trade and the origin, trade routes and utilization patterns; 3) current fishing practices and management options; 4) opportunities for sustainable wild harvest and trade controls; and 5) reports from 18 participating countries. Three concurrent working groups (WG) met to discuss (i) national fisheries management; (ii) priorities for international conservation and protection; and (iii) potential CITES implementation issues. All participants were requested to work together to formulate specific recommendations on conservation, fishery management approaches and trade measures needed to conserve and sustainably manage sea cucumber resources.