Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 232531888

Population assesment and status of the endangered commercial sea cucumber in South Sulawesi

Several types of sea cucumbers are in the category of threatened populations, such as Holothuria scabra, Holothuria lessoni, and Thelenota ananas. These three types of sea cucumbers are used for trade, especially for export purposes to several countries in Asia, such as China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. This means that sea cucumber hunting is carried out continuously, causing its population to become endangered in nature. It was reported that total exports for 2017-2020 were 86,376 kg for H. scabra, 93,050 kg for H. lessons, and 156,606 kilograms of T. Ananas (Wirawati et al., 2021). These three species are classified as endangered on the IUCN red list and require data updating. The extent of use of this species is still unknown. Previous investigations have provided only limited information regarding the conditions of the sea cucumber trade in Indonesia. For example, trade data is still collected regionally and is not species-specific (Choo, 2008; Wiadnyana, 2009).

Objectives : 

1. Conduct sea cucumber surveys, including the target species Holothuria scabra, Holothuria lessoni, and Thelenota ananas in several small islands in the Makassar Strait.

2. Analyzing ecological indices at each research site.

3. Conducting sea cucumber aquaculture conservation efforts on one of the islands in South Sulawesi and socialization of threatened species to the community.

Study Sites 

     The survey research was conducted in December 2023 - January 2024, and July 2024 on four small islands in the Makassar Strait, involving two islands in South Sulawesi and West Sulawesi. Karampuang Island (2°37'42 "S 118°53'46" E) is the northernmost island in the study, located in the city of Mamuju, West Sulawesi. Battoa Island (3°28'04 "S 119°22'07" E) is located in the Polewali Mandar district of West Sulawesi. Baki Island (4°08'34 "S 119°36'26" E) is an uninhabited island in the Barru district of South Sulawesi. Bauluang Island (5°27'15 "S 119°14'22" E) is the southernmost island in the study, located in the Takalar District of South Sulawesi.

     Based on our observations, we found species target H. scabra species distributed only in karampuang while H. lessoni and T. ananas was not found in nature. The distribution of H. scabra species based on microhabitat was primarily found in areas near mangroves and seagrass beds with mud substrate. Although the species is active at night, we found it during the day in a state of covering itself with sand or hiding under dead corals. 

      We also surveyed several locations to build net cages to cultivate species targets (H. scabra). We decided to build on Labbotallua Island, Minasa Baji village, Kepulauan tanakeke sub-district, Takalaar district, South Sulawesi province (5°27'51"S 119°16'44"E), and this location is close to the research site (Bauluang Island). In this work, we carried out conventional cultivation; in this case, the target sea cucumber species H. scabra we found we raised and bred in these cages. In addition, this cage is managed by the local community.