There is only one edible species of sea cucumber native to northern China, which is A. japonicus;
it is distributed in the shallow waters along the coasts of Liaoning, Hebei, Shangdong, and around
Pingshan Island off the Lian Yunguang City in Jiangsu in the south. Among these areas, A. japonicus
is most widely distributed along the coasts of Dalian and Jingzhou in Liaoning Province, as well as
Yantai and Qingdao in Shandong Province (see Chapter 3). There are over 10 species of commercial
sea cucumbers in southern China, among which Stichopus variegatus is the most commonly consumed.
These sea cucumbers usually colonize rocky intertidal areas or coral reefs; they are found in the coastal
waters of Hainan, Leizhou Peninsula, and Xisha Islands (Zhang et al., 2004).
The Chinese advocated the use of sea cucumbers as a folk remedy in ancient times (see Chapter
19). Following a growing focus on health care, sea cucumbers are becoming a popular tonic food in
China. While dried products still dominate the Chinese markets, various sea cucumber products have
recently appeared, ranging from oral liquid to dry pills (see Chapter 20). Stimulated by the prospect of
large profis, capital investment has been continuously flwing into the farming and processing industries. The rational development of, and further research into, sea cucumber production should hence be
thoughtfully considered by relevant authorities, investors, and farmers, as well as academic institutes