Sea Cucumber

Recent Chinese investment in a Sea cucumber farm has raised concerns among northern Sri Lankan fishermen.

Image Source - Youtube

About Sea Cucumber

Marine creatures known as sea cucumbers have leathery skin and an elongated body with a single, branching gonad.
They can be found in both tropical and temperate oceans, living in both deeper water and the intertidal zone.
Sea cucumbers can be found in India in the waters surrounding the Lakshadweep and Andaman Nicobar islands as well as in Tamil Nadu's Gulf of Mannar, which is where the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal converge.

Demand:

In China and Southeast Asia, where they are eaten as food and utilized as medicinal, this endangered species is in high demand.
They have high concentrations of a substance called fucosylated glycosaminoglycan in their skin, which Asians have used for centuries to treat joint issues like arthritis.
Calcium carbonate, a crucial component of coral reefs, is a byproduct of the sea cucumber's digestion of sand and plays an important part in the maintenance of coral reefs.
Sea cucumbers are essential to the maintenance of coral reefs because coral reefs need to acquire calcium carbonate in order to thrive.

Protection:

Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) of 1972 lists these animals as protected, making trade in them illegal.
Sea cucumber is regarded as an endangered species in India and is included in Schedule 1 of the 1972 Wildlife Protection Act.
In 2001, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change outlawed the collection and transportation of sea cucumbers.
The first sea cucumber conservation area was established in Lakshadweep.

Also, Read - Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator: ISRO

Source: The Indian Express

Join Our Telegram

AI Impact Summit 2026 UPSC GS-3 S&T PT-MAINS

India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) UPSC GS-2 INDO PACIFIC – IR/PSIR

20 Nov, 25
SHARE

India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) UPSC GS-2 INDO PACIFIC – IR/PSIR IPOI is India’s open, voluntary and non-treaty-based maritime initiative for building a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific through practical cooperation. Why in News? India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Ini

AI Impact Summit 2026 UPSC GS-3 S&T PT-MAINS

19 May, 26
SHARE

AI Impact Summit 2026 UPSC GS-3 S&T PT-MAINS The India-AI Impact Summit 2026 positioned India as a Global South leader by shifting global AI debate from only AI safety and regulation to AI for development, inclusion and real-world impact. Why in News? India hosted the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 at B

Hong Kong Convention for Safe Ship Recycling UPSC GS-3 ENVIRONMENT PT-MAINS

27 Jun, 25
SHARE

Hong Kong Convention for Safe Ship Recycling UPSC GS-3 ENVIRONMENT PT-MAINS The Hong Kong International Convention, 2009 is an IMO treaty that ensures ships are recycled safely without unnecessary risk to human health, worker safety and the environment. Why in News? The Hong Kong Convention entered into force on 26 June 2

LeadIT 2.0: Leadership Group for Industry Transition COP28 UPSC GS-2 IR GS-3 S&T

14 Nov, 23
SHARE

LeadIT 2.0: Leadership Group for Industry Transition UPSC GS-2 IR GS-3 S&T LeadIT 2.0 is the second phase of the India-Sweden-led global initiative to support low-carbon transition in hard-to-abate industrial sectors. Why in News? The second phase of LeadIT was announced at the LeadIT Summit 2023, ho

India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement UPSC GS-2 IR/PSIR

03 Sep, 25
SHARE

India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement UPSC GS-2 IR/PSIR The India-EFTA TEPA is a comprehensive trade pact between India and four non-EU European countries — Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland — aimed at boosting trade, investment, jobs, services, technology and supply-chain resilience. Wh