Diversity, Distribution, and Biology of Sea Cucumber

Abstract

The sea cucumber is a benthic invertebrate with great nutritional and commercial value. There are about 900 species of sea cucumber encountered all over the world. Most sea cucumbers are inedible, whereas only about 40 species are edible. This requires consumers and trade managers to distinguish based on their knowledge of sea cucumber species. The fishery and trade of sea cucumber cover more than 70 countries and regions in the world. Sea cucumbers are exploited and utilized in polar regions, temperate regions, and tropical regions in the form of industrialized, semi-industrialized, and artisanal workshop (small-scale) fisheries. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the distribution of sea cucumber species and provide identification guidelines for industrial workers to distinguish different sea cucumber species being exploited, utilized, and traded worldwide.