BFAR tightens rules on sea cucumber trading

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has tightened regulations for trading sea cucumber to prevent over exploitation and encourage spawning of the species.

BFAR issued on Nov. 25 administrative circular no. 248 specifying the permits required for sea cucumber trade as well as the permissible size for trading and transport.

The order takes effect 15 days after publication.

The circular states that only registered fisherfolk holding an Aquatic Wildlife Collector’s Permit (AWCP) by the BFAR Provincial Fishery Office (PFO) may gather sea cucumbers for commercial trade.

Sea cucumbers cannot be transported without a Local Transport Permit (LTP) issued by the Provincial Fishery Office or a fisheries quarantine officer.

It is also prohibited to sell and transport undersized sea cucumbers – those that are only five centimeters in length – except in dried form.

The Agriculture Secretary, upon recommendation from BFAR, can grant a special permit to research or academic institutions to gather and transport sea cucumbers subject to specified terms and conditions.

Trading undersized sea cucumbers is punishable by imprisonment of 10 days to a month and a fine of P200 to P20,000. Transport of sea cucumbers without a permit is, in turn punishable by imprisonment for five  to 10 days and a fine of P200 to P1,000.

Gathering of sea cucumbers without a collector’s permit is punishable by  imprisonment for 10 days to a month and a fine of P1,000 to P5,000.

Exporting undersized sea cucumbers is punishable by eight years imprisonment and a fine of P80,000.

Aside from the fines and jail time imposed on violators, sea cucumber shipments will also be confiscated and the sea cucumbers returned to their natural habitat.

The fines to be imposed shall rise by 10 percent every three years to cover inflation.

Sea cucumber is locally known as balat, balatan and bat and by trade names beche-de-mer and trepang.

Production began to decline to only 1,000 metric tons (MT) annually in the 1990s from more than 4,000 MT in the 1970s to 1980s because of of overexploitation. Production is now below 1,000 MT annually, mostly undersized and low value species.

Sea cucumber is traded in various forms such as frozen, gutted, boiled, salted, smoked, and dried.

Sea cucumbers are any echinoderm of class Holothuroidea which have soft, elongated, cucumber-shaped bodies bearing clusters of tentacles at the  mouth end of the body.

They  inhabit seagrass meadows, coral reefs and soft bottoms of water bodies.

The specie is valued for its high nutritional content and therapeutic properties.