Remote-operated vehicle shows Kimberley sea cucumber fisheries are thriving

The Kimberley’s sea cucumbers have the prized label as the world’s first sustainable fishery for the Asian delicacy thanks to a remote-controlled underwater camera that can get up close to creatures on the sea floor. Principal aquatic research scientist for the WA Government Simon de Lestang said the treacherous waters of the Kimberley coast made it too dangerous to dive and monitor how commercial fishing was affecting the sea cucumbers. “Everything that bites you in the ocean almost lives in the Kimberley to some extent so the remote operated vehicle (ROV) is a much better option than using stinger suits and cages.” Crocodiles, sharks, lethal box and irukandji jellyfish don’t bother the ROV as it trawls the remote waters off Camden Sound, 300km north-east of Broome as well Eighty Mile Beach just south of the tourist town. Recently the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, and Fisheries, released video of the ROV’s work and the three-person team — led by principal research scientist Lachlan Strain — that directs it remotely. The research team has been conducting the survey with the ROV for the past four years. Mr de Lestang said the ROV has allowed them to safely collect data to determine the stock density and biomass of the sea cucumber fisheries which shows the population of marine invertebrate is being managed well. “There have been fisheries in other parts of the world in which they’ve thought sea cucumber fisheries are just non-viable. As soon as you started to commercially harvest them they wouldn’t survive, but the research that Lachie Strain and his team have been doing shows that it’s actually quite resilient if managed appropriately, if the harvest rates are kept to a sensible level, the biomass can tick along and be quite healthy.” Mr de Lestang said the fishery has proved itself to be ecologically sustainable by receiving a gold standard certification from the Marine Stewardship Council — an international non-profit organisation dedicated to sustainable fishing. Kimberley sea cucumber is exported to Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Japan, and Taiwan. Sea cucumber is typically sold as dried product, known in Chinese cuisine as haishen and in Japan it’s called namako. WA’s sea cucumber fishery focuses on two species — the deep-water redfish, and sandfish.