1. A synthesis from 40 years of Pacific Island sea cucumber export
Dr Hampus Eriksson

2. Globalized networks for BDM
To understand the forces at play in driving the fishery
This illustration is of Hong Kong trade statistics COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
RED Surging number of source countries 35 to 83
BLUE Compensating exercise
Contagious- does NOT follow patterns of increasing distance from Hong Kong
Lootable
Eriksson et al. 2015, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

3. Spatial impact of Chinese BDM market
1. The sea cucumber sourcing network now expands more than 90% of tropical coastline
2. Contemporary seafood sourcing networks can rapidly outpace institutions and have considerable spatial reach and impact.
3. A reflection of our globalised world
4. How can such a resilient and forceful sourcing system be governed in a way that is advantageous to countries and small-scale fishing communities
Eriksson et al. 2015, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

4. Forty years of Pacific Island production
Melanesia
Polynesia
Micronesia
SPC compiled 40 years of trade statistics until 2013
Since 1971 these PICTs have recorded over 32,000 t of beche-de-mer exports. Annual sea cucumber production from the region peaked in 1992 at 2,043 t (Figure 1). Melanesian countries exported considerably more sea cucumbers than countries from Polynesia or Micronesia. Exports from Melanesia fell sharply from 2010, responding to fisheries closures in PNG, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. In contrast, Polynesia and Micronesia have more recently increased exports from re- openings of fisheries, notably in Tonga (Polynesia) and in Palau and Marshall Islands (Micronesia).
2010 was the first and only time in history that Polynesia produced more BDM than Melanesia
Eriksson et al in review

5. Pacific Island contribution to Hong Kong imports have diminished
1998: ~ 50 % : ~15 %
Trend driven by:
Declining exports from Pacific Islands
Growing number of producing countries
The region’s historical production pattern is mirrored in Hong Kong imports: in 1998 the Pacific contributed nearly half of total Hong Kong sea cucumber imports, however this fell to 14% in The percentage contribution is influenced both by increased imports from a growing number of other countries in the world and a decline in exports from the Pacific.
Eriksson et al in review

6. Eriksson et al in review
ADDED SLIDE: Evaluate how national exports match imports to Hong Kong
1996
2011
1996
2011
Eriksson et al in review

7. Fishery profiles Four profile dimensions A Total export
B Coefficient of variance
C Boom duration
D Peak boom
Tonnes
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
Eriksson et al in review

8. Eriksson et al in review

9. Explanatory variables
From a range of social and ecological variables, land area influenced fishery production dynamics the most
Land area indicate land based nutrient input and coastline complexity and varying degrees of productive and diverse interconnected sea cucumber habitats between countries
Two conclusions (at the country-level):
Fisheries have been exploited to their environmental limits
Fisheries models need to be tailored to operate within these limits
Fisheries need to be reigned in within these ungovernable factors
Eriksson et al in review

10. Fishing intensity guidelines
Evaluating and adjusting according to this historical measure can help identify rates of national exploitation that might be sustained over longer periods than past booms and busts.
First, historical fishing intensity per unit area measurements, coupled with understanding about fishery status, can help tailor exploitation levels at the national level. For example, Tonga has exported about 41 kg year-1 km-2 shallow water (0–30 m depth) and fishing periods have been followed by extended closures due to overfishing. Evaluating and adjusting this measure can help identify rates of exploitation that might be sustained over longer periods than past booms and busts.
This measure does not reveal what sustainable rates of extraction are, but it indicates at what rates overfishing has occurred historically.
Eriksson et al in review

11. Reference abundances Pakoa et al 2014
Second, abundance assessments can inform management about impact and recovery when snap- shot in-water stock surveys are repeated through time. Through extensive fishery independent in- water surveys across 17 PICTs, SPC have provided early suggestions of what might constitute densities for “healthy” sea cucumber stocks for 18 commercial species (see table 6 in Pakoa et al. 2014). These abundance measures are valuable references for future assessments and to inform managers when there are no local baselines to compare against. This is in my view, the best data set in the world for this purpose.