Sea cucumber fisheries of Qeshm Island, Persian Gulf

cucumbers were sold to foreign buyers at USD 0.3–0.4 per specimen in 2004 and for USD 0.9–1.0 in 2006. Foreigners processed sea cucumbers into beche-de-mer and sent the product by air to the United Arab Emirates from where they were transferred to international markets. There were seven main H. scabra fishing grounds at Qeshm Island: Hamoon, Kovei, Hormoz, Tolla, Ramchah, Massen and Hengam (Fig. 1). The estimated number of fishers increased from 150 in 2004 to 200 in 2006. The average number of fishing hours per fisher per working day was five to six, with an average collection of 150 to 200 live sandfish per fishing trip. Men involved in this fishery had no other income-generating activities. All of the processing steps were carried out by the traders. Customs inspectors at the border checkpoint (airport) were not familiar with sea cucumbers, especially dried ones, and so the product was exported without proper identification. Fortunately, local fishing operations were stopped by authorities in 2006. The sea cucumbers sampled in 2010 were over 20 cm long and the estimated abundance was more than 30 ind. ha -1 .