Abstract
This paper provides preliminary results on the present status of the sea cucumber fishery in Sri Lanka. At
present, the fishery is restricted to the northwestern and eastern parts of the country. Sea cucumber fishing
activities are greatly influenced by the monsoon. About 4,000–5,000 families are dependant on sea
cucumber fishing activities. The major sea cucumber processing procedures include grading and cleaning,
evisceration, boiling, store in salt or burying, boiling (second time) and drying. The entire annual production
is currently exported to Singapore, Hong Kong and China. The fishery is open access, and there are
no regulations or precautionary approaches used, except for issuing licenses for diving and transportation.
After realizing the needs of implementing suitable management plans for the sustainable use of sea cucumber
resources in Sri Lanka, the National Aquatic Resources Research Development Agency began a project
under the technical assistance of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.