Experts are voicing concern over Vanuatu's decision to overturn its controls on sea cucumber fishing amidst a decision to enter into business with a Fijian company.
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.
"The problem is that the sea cucumbers are quite slow growing and take a long time to replenish after they have been over harvested," he said.
"The main [thing] that I'm concerned about, is the risks to people's future...in being able to benefit from this important resource as much as the current fishers are today."
The Vanuatu Fisheries Department were not available to speak with Pacific Beat.
But in a statement to the newspaper, the Vanuatu Daily Post, its director William Naviti said that the government was taking adequate measures — like putting in place sea cucumber catch limits and only opening the market to a single company — to avoid over-harvesting.
Steven Purcell says these measures are not based on expert advice.
"Vanuatu's approach for the opening and the framework that they are taking for managing the sea cucumber fishery is taking an alternative strategy from what has been advocated by most of the scientists and experts in the field."