Several countries in the Pacific have recently banned fishing, after numbers collapsed to almost a fifth of earlier levels due to over-harvesting.
But Vanuatu's decision to again begin trade in the delicacy, also known as bech-de-mer, is leading to fears the government could kill off the important marine resource.
Steven Purcell is an associate professor at the National Marine Science Centre in Australia's Southern Cross University, and said the move by the Vanuatu government is risky.
