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Sea Cucumbers
Stichopus chloronotus is usually found in the Indo-Pacific region of the world and lives mainly on and around coral reefs. Although sea cucumbers have been found to be a variety of colors, Stichopus chloronotus usually varies from a dark green to black color with rows of short orange or red tipped papillae along its sides. A large industry has been built around Stichopus chloronotus and many other sea cucumbers, mainly in the Indo-Pacific region, where they are used as food and for their medicinal properties. All of the sea cucumbers in this industry are often referred to as “Trepang” by the Chinese, or beche-de-mer in other areas.bêche-de-mer has been harvested for markets in the Indo-Pacific region for over a thousand years. This strong demand for the echinoderm has led to many cases of overfishing and has begun to worry many about the remaining
Sea Urchins
Tripneustes ventricosus, commonly called the West Indian sea egg or white sea urchin, is a species of sea urchin. It is common in the Caribbean Sea, the Bahamas and Florida and may be found at depths of less than 10 metres.
The West Indian sea egg feeds on algae but tends to avoid the crustose, highly calcified coralline algae.
Ripe gonads were found in urchins at any time of year but breeding probably takes place mostly in the summer. Male and female urchins liberate gametes into the sea where fertilisation takes place. The eggs soon hatch into larvae which are planktonic. These develop through a number of larval stages over the course of about one month before settling on the seabed and undergoing metamorphosis into juveniles. Young urchin recruits in Barbados are thought to have originated off the coast of South America. Various bottom feeding fish feed on the young sea urchins.
In Jamaica, the queen triggerfish, (Balistes vetula), is the main predator. During their first year, young urchins increased their diameter by about 7 millimetres (0.28 in) a month. Growth rates slowed down thereafter and growth halted completely after maturity was reached while the gonads were ripening. After liberation of the gametes, growth restarted.
The gonads of the West Indian sea egg are traditionally consumed in the West Indies and there is an important fishery in Barbados. Urchins are collected by skin diving and it used to be possible to collect a thousand in a few hours. In order to conserve stocks, a closed period was introduced during the breeding season (May to August) during which no sea urchins were allowed to be taken.
Despite this, sea urchin numbers have declined during the late twentieth century and they are now uncommon and the fishery non-viable. The cause of this population collapse is thought to be overfishing, though pollution and disease may have played a part.
The sea urchins have become rare in the most easily fished locations and are still common in more remote places. Attempts are being made to raise urchin larvae in the laboratory and restock depleted areas.
