Fiji is steadily introducing sustainable harvesting regimes to manage the health of vulnerable marine species in Fiji. Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says the five-year ban on Beche-de-mer is in favor of a set harvesting window.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) has lifted the beche-der-mer ban, reopening the harvest period for a year, starting today.
A Lord Howe chief has called on the Ministry of Fisheries to return the beche-de-mer that were confiscated on Tuesday night this week back to the owners.
The exporting of Tonga’s sea cucumber began in the 1980s. A number of moratoriums were enforced to enable sea cucumber resources to be replenished. In 2009 it was estimated that $12 million pa'anga worth of sea cucumber was exported from Tonga.