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Assessment of sea cucumber populations from the Aegean Sea (Turkey): first insights to sustainable management of new fisheries
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Abstract(s)
Sea cucumber stocks have been overfished in many countries. As a consequence, several species (Holothuria
polii, Holothuria tubulosa and Holothuria mammata) are now caught in Turkish waters without
adequate knowledge on their biology and ecology. Here, we address their morphometry, relationships
among gutted length and weight, population dynamics, temporal evolution of catches, and we provide
the first insights about technical aspects of their fisheries. The largest size classes of H. polii are missing
from our sampling collection, possibly due to the heavy fishery pressure on this species. Significant
differences in the eviscerated length and weight were found among the Turkish sampled localities for
H. polii and H. tubulosa, respectively. These differences could be explained by higher food availability in
some areas and/or differential fishery pressure. The size and weight of H. tubulosa specimens were
smaller than those registered for the same species in Greek waters, where this species is not fished. All
the studied species showed allometric growth. In the last two years, the sea cucumber fishery in Turkey
has been increasing rapidly, reaching a total production of ca. 555 000 kg in 2012 (80% H. polii and 20%
H. tubulosa plus H. mammata). For a correct management of these species, we recommend: 1) the reestablishment
of species-specific closed fishery season according to the specific reproductive cycle; 2)
the assessment of the exploited stocks from the Northern Turkish coasts with estimates of recovery time
of their populations; 3) the reduction of fishery efforts, mainly on H. polii and H. tubulosa and 4) the
establishment of protected areas (where sea cucumber fisheries are forbidden) to conserve healthy
populations which will favour the recruitment on nearby areas.
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Elsevier