Tag Archives: sea cucumbers
King crab hatcheries could be on Alaska’s horizon
The Alaska House of Representatives agreed last week to changes made to a mariculture enhancement bill that would allow shellfish to be grown in hatcheries, moving it one step closer to becoming law. House Bill 41 would allow certain nonprofits to pursue mariculture enhancement or restoration projects for species of shellfish like abalone, razor clams, sea cucumbers and king crab. It would be the first time in Alaska’s history that people could raise animals like crab in hatcheries and release them into the wild to support commercial fisheries. >click to read< 09:46
International sea cucumber kingpin implicated in new smuggling case
When Wei Li walked across the southern US border into San Ysidro, California in September, he told US border officers—twice—that he had nothing to declare. He was lying. An x-ray of Li’s bag detected an “anomaly,” and the officers looked inside. According to a search warrant application filed in federal court, they found 46 sea cucumbers weighing about 2.5 pounds. It turns out the illegal sea cucumber trade is a serious problem. >click to read< 17:46
Southeast Alaska fisherman pleads guilty to illegally harvesting $35,000 worth of sea cucumbers
A Southeast Alaska commercial fisherman has been convicted for his role in illegally harvesting nearly 7,500 pounds of sea cucumbers near Prince of Wales Island. Jonathan McGraw Jr., of Naukati Bay, pleaded guilty to fishing in closed waters and providing false information on a harvest report. Both are misdemeanors. In 2018, McGraw and two others were charged with illegally fishing in a scientific preserve near Whale Pass. That area has been closed to fishing since the 1980s. >click to read< 21:13
The Whale Pass Case: Southeast Alaska fishermen illegally caught $35,000 worth of sea cucumbers, troopers say
The lure of lucrative echinoderms may have proved too strong for three Southeast fishermen. The trio, all from Naukati Bay on Prince of Wales Island, face criminal charges after pilfering nearly four tons of sea cucumbers from a Whale Pass scientific preserve that’s been off limits to fishing for decades, Alaska Wildlife Troopers say.,, The Whale Pass case started in December after other divers noticed the three men bringing in large loads of sea cucumbers,,, “They’re like, how in the world is this guy catching more than us? We don’t even see him out here. Something isn’t right,” >click to read< 20:06
Father and Son Busted With More Than $17M in Sea Cucumbers
A father and son have been indicted on charges of smuggling illegally harvested sea cucumbers worth more than $17 million into the United States and selling the Chinese delicacy on Asian markets. Depending on the species, sea cucumbers can go for as much as $300 a pound in China and Hong Kong, authorities say. Ramon Torres Mayorquin and his son, David Mayorquin, were charged in federal court in San Diego of conspiracy, false labeling and unlawful importation of wildlife, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. Their company, Blessings Inc. of Tucson, Arizona, was also charged. Between 2010 and 2012, the family knowingly agreed to purchase roughly $13 million worth of illicitly harvested sea cucumbers from poachers operating off the Yucatan Peninsula, according to the indictment filed Wednesday. They then allegedly imported the product and sold it to Asian markets for about $17.5 million. Click here to read the story 11:23
Pricey sea cucumbers face increasing sea otter appetites
Sea cucumbers are the most valuable of Alaska’s dive fisheries and give a nice boost to coastal towns, especially in Southeast. Annual harvests each October hover around one million pounds and attract nearly 200 divers, who will fetch between $4 to $5 a pound for their pickings. The harvest used to approach two million pounds but sea otters have cleaned out cucumbers in many areas over the past decade. None of the areas they have gone back and resurveyed have they seen any sea cucumbers. It’s not like the otter come in and move on and the population rebounds. The otters stay. We’ve lost on an annual basis between 500-000 to 600,000 pounds of product and the trend is downward. Audio report, read the rest here 16:46
State of Hawaii proposes emergency ban following mass harvesting of sea cucumbers
The Department of Land and Natural Resources is proposing an emergency rule that will ban any taking of sea cucumbers for the next 120 days. The move comes as officials report a new commercial fishery that mass harvests sea cucumbers on both Oahu and Maui. Photos on social media show sea cucumbers being harvested by the hundreds, possibly thousands at a time, from a beach in Waimanalo. Currently Hawaii has no specific rules governing the take of sea cucumbers and, while taking sea cucumbers from the ocean is not against the law,,, Video, Read the rest here 16:35
American Samoa DMWR Director reports on local issues
A crown of thorns or alamea outbreak and the removal of sea cucumbers were some of the issues the director of the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources highlighted during her statement at the 31st US Coral Reef Task Force Meeting. DMWR Director Dr. Ruth Matagi-Tofiga is a member of the All Island Committee of the Task Force, which comprises American Samoa, CNMI, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Read more here talaneia.com 16:44
Sea cucumbers dropped from two Baynes Sound aquaculture applications
Two large and controversial aquaculture applications for sea cucumbers in the Baynes Sound area have been resubmitted — minus the sea cucumbers. continued
