Centenarian sea cucumbers at risk of overfishing
Marine scientists have been amazed to discover an endangered sea cucumber can live for decades, with some animals living more than 100 years, in a first-of-its-kind genetic mark-recapture study.
Marine scientists have been amazed to discover an endangered sea cucumber can live for decades, with some animals living more than 100 years, in a first-of-its-kind genetic mark-recapture study.
The short version
- Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) Senior Principal Research Scientist Dr.
- Sven Uthicke said the findings suggested black teatfish sea cucumber populations recover much more slowly than previously thought and that this had implications for commercial fishery catch limits.
- This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies .
What happened
Black teatfish is a highly valued delicacy in some cultures and is fished in Australia, the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia. Sold for more than AU$400 per kg in Hong Kong, they are now seldom seen in Asian markets as wild stocks have been overfished.
Why it matters
They can be found throughout the Great Barrier Reef, and their distribution extends to Western Australia.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Phys.org via the links above and below.