“ The Great Barrier Reef is home to 10 of the world ‘s 16 endangered or vulnerable sea cucumber species, ” Dr Wolfe said .
“ The datum shows populations of some of the highest-valued species have been dwindling ascribable to increasing and haunting global overharvest. ”
“ They ‘re seen as a dainty to some, but sea cucumbers are the earthworms or vacuums of the sea, helping keep the seafloor clean and productive — they ‘re critical for goodly ocean ecosystems. ”
One fast-disappearing group of tropical ocean cucumbers, known as teatfish, was of detail concern .
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“ Teatfish are listed on CITES — the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species — which provides a impregnable basis to restrict their crop and export, ” Dr Wolfe said .
“ yet two of these species, the white and blacken teatfish, represented more than 20 per penny of the Queensland fishery ‘s late entire catch .
“ Populations of teatfish are most at risk because of their high market value and poor replica .
“ In fact, black teatfish numbers have not recovered since their fishery was closed in 1999 ascribable to overharvest — although the fishery reopened in 2019.
“ In December 2021, we saw a re of hope, when the federal Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley supported the CITES list, and in recognition of their parlous state determined that black teatfish harvest would not be permitted .
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“ It ‘s a bang-up win for one of our 10 endangered or vulnerable ocean cucumbers, but far policy interventions are needed to ensure early sea cucumber populations do n’t start teetering toward extinction. ”
Fellow research worker, Professor Maria Byrne from The University of Sydney, said effective statutory regulation was essential for protecting sea cucumbers .
“ The Great Barrier Reef sea cucumber fishery has retentive been operating under what ‘s known as a non-regulatory — and consequently a non-binding — Performance Measurement System, ” Professor Byrne said .
“ This system recommended regular judgment of ocean cucumber stocks, but these were n’t done, so industry has been operating without any real mind of their harvests ‘ impact on broth sustainability.
“ Going forward it ‘ll be essential to have a statutory regulated and enforced policy framework for regular independent stock assessments for all tropical ocean cucumber species harvested on the Great Barrier Reef .
“ merely then would we be able to assess what is sustainable crop and identify species-specific interventions, hopefully avoiding local extinction of these ecologically authoritative sea cucumber species on the Great Barrier Reef. ”
“ This is essential for the health of the witwatersrand and provides an significant contribution to meeting the australian and Queensland Governments ‘ reef 2050 plan, ensuring the UNESCO “ at-risk ” status of the Great Barrier Reef is avoided, and for Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries to meet its latest sustainable Fisheries Strategy. ”
