Sea Cucumbers are found in a variety of geographical areas, fromthe littoral zone to deep sea, and coral reefs aroundislands.

Seacucumbers are especially abundant around Cat BaIsland, Co To Island, Bach Long Vi Island, The Gulfof Tonkin, Ly Son Island, Khanh Hoa, Truong SaArchipelago, Phu Quoc Island, and Tho Chu Island(Dao Tan Ho, 1996).

SCUBA diving is the main method used to catchsea cucumbers. This method places pressure on seacucumber populations due to the crowded fishermenand high fishing volume, as sea cucumbers normallylive in flocks making it easy to catch large quantities.In addition, other fishing methods catch seacucumbers as bycatch, simultaneously damaging seacucumber habitat. Examples of such methods includetrawl net with undersized mesh, explosives and electricalfishing gear. These fishing methods result in large deathsof sea cucumbers and other living organisms, disruptingthe ecosystem balance in that area.

Sea cucumber is a valuable and nutritious food.Sea cucumber meat contains many nutrients in ahigh percentage such as protein (76%), amino acids(lysine, proline ...) and many trace substances suchas P, Cu, Fe..., many vitamins, hormones and activebiological subtances such as Saponin Rg, Rh. Italso contains few lipids and almost no cholesterolso that it is a kind of ideal food that can be used byobese people and people with blood-lipid disorders.Furthermore, it is also a kind of good medicalmaterial especially in traditional care and curemethods. It can be used in treatment of gastritisand stomach ulcers, anemia, nervous breakdown,lack of libido in men, and backache, amongst otherthings.

For further information on "Use of Sea Cucumbers as nutritious and functional food" and on "Extraction of sea cucumber for medicinal materials", see the Report accessible from the "Source of Information" section.

Marketing
Market in Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City has thelargest market for sea cucumbers. Fresh seacucumber usually have the intestines removed,is chilled and transported to the city. However,the market for seed consumption (produced byResearch Institute III for aquaculture – NhaTrang) is concentrated in places such as QuangNgai, Ninh Thuan, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoaprovinces. At the moment seed availability isstill limited but may increase in the future.
In Asian countries, sea cucumber is viewed as ahigh-class dish, while in European countries it isalso valued and served in luxurious restaurantsunder the name Cucumus marinus.
Cost: Normally, sea cucumbers that weigh from0.3 – 0.5kg/ind. cost 17-20,000 VND/fresh kg.However, the price is also dependent upon thesize, season and species (table 2).
Furthermore, extracted products used formedicinal purposes will be more expensive,for example, a box of Amorvita sea cucumberabove cost 225,000 VND.

Trade
Sea cucumbers are an high commercial speciesgroup so that they are being caught for sale. Somespecies are being overfished to satisfy marketdemands. However, commercial activities of seacucumbers haven’t checked clearly so that importexportstatistical data (import-export yield, importexportcost, etc.) of these species is still unconnectedand uncomprehensive through many years. Almost,the commercial data of sea cucumbers is selectedfrom import-export companies of sea cucumbers orfrom fishmen or from traders.
Sea cucumbers are usually caught in the south ofVietNam (Phu Quoc, Ly Son, Con Dao, Tho Chuand Truong Sa Archipelago). Sea cucumbers fromthese areas are gathered, transported to Ho ChiMinh market and exported to some countries in Asia(China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore),Canada, America and Australia. The species areusually exploited and transported to Ho Chi Minh Market including: Holothuria scabra, Thelenotaananas, Bohadschia argus, Holothuria nobilis andStichopus chloronotus.
Sea cucumbers market in VietNam includes twokind of products: frozen and dried sea cucumberproducts. The frozen products are very rare. Theyare cooked, canned for export market. The dried seacucumbers are common products in VietNam. Theyare provided to either domestic or overseas market.If dried products are wetted, they are usually sold atlocal supermarkets. Some export companies of seacucumbers in VietNam following:
+ HX export companyAddress: 405/2 Xo Viet Nghe Tinh St.,Binh Thanh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City
They are exporting different kind of dried seacucumbers such as: White teat fish, Flower teatfish, Green fish, Yellow sand fish, White sand fish,Black sand fish, Lolly fish, Curry fish, Pyhon fish, Shark’s skin, Shark’s fin, Fish maw (Globefish,Pangacious fism maw, Lacfish maw...) , Sea horse,etc.
Market: sea cucumber products have been exportedto more than 20 countries, such as China, Japan,Korea, Singapore, United States, etc.
Phu Mai company ltd.Address: 192 Van Kiep St., Ward 3, Binh ThanhDist., Ho Chi Minh cityĐịa chỉ: 192 đường Vạn Kiếp, Khu 3, Quận BìnhThạnh, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
Market: Some countries of northern America,Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, Eastern AsiaIn addition, there are some other export companiesof sea cucumbers, such as:
Viet Delta industrialCo., ltd. (20/5 Dinh Bo Linh St., Ward 24, BinhThanh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City), Anbai sea productcompany ltd. (1 Bach Ma Street, District 10thHoChiMinh-Viet Nam), etc.

Several attempts to protect sea cucumber species in Vietnam have been made, including designated zones for reproduction areas, and banning trawling and the use of explosives. In addition, initiatives were also undertaken on artificial seed production and culture of sea cucumber species.For additional information on Culture of Sea Cucumbers, see the Report accessible from the "Source of Information" section.