IUCN SSC Sea Cucumber Specialist Group

Overview and description

Description:

Sea cucumbers are echinoderms in the class Holothuroidea and include approximately 1,711 described extant species. Many sea cucumber species are threatened by overfishing to supply the luxury seafood ...

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Sea cucumbers are echinoderms in the class Holothuroidea and include approximately 1,711 described extant species. Many sea cucumber species are threatened by overfishing to supply the luxury seafood market. Other threats include pollution from urban and agricultural sources and subsequent eutrophication, tsunamis and flooding due to severe weather, and collection for broodstock in industrial aquaculture. About 22 % of the species have been assessed on the IUCN Red List, mostly commercial species. There is a clear need for further assessment work on this taxon. Given the level of international trade and ongoing expansion, management measures and conservation actions are needed to prevent extinction in threatened species and to ensure more species don’t become threatened. This specialist group works not only on assessements but on a concerted global effort to obtain more data and to implement management measures to benefit marine conservation more broadly.

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