Beche-de-mer

Beche-de-mer or sea cucumber is considered a delicacy in China and top varieties can sell for more than $US2, 000 dollars a kilo.

Fiji's new minister of Fisheries Semi Koroilavesau said he had already banned the use of scuba-diving gear for harvesting beche-de-mer but it had done little to slow exports.

"So what we are going to do now is what we call seasonal ban. So there has to be a period of ban where we will carry out another survey and see the population of this stock and review our decision from there."

“Sea cucumber remain one of the oldest marine fisheries commodity some 200 plus years old yet many buyers, processors, exporter continue to charge poor prices to Pacific Island producers for their produces,” said a recent media release from the Fisheries Department.

The new buying price sets the ‘white teatfish’ as the most expensive species with a minimum price of Vt3,200 per kilo for a wet (raw) product and Vt8,000 per kilo for a dry (processed) product.

The minimum price is Vt100 for a wet product of Lollyfish. A processed product of the species is Vt1000.