AS the sea cucumber harvesting season continues into its second month after a slow start in Tonga, 12 licenses have been issued to local operators for the 2011 harvesting season for export of a reduced quota of 100 tonnes of dried beche de mers.

The Ministry of Fisheries on July 1 confirmed that the licenses were issued last month in June to only 12 local operators who had paid their licensing fee. Tongatapu and Vava'u received three licences for each group, while four licenses were issued in Ha'apai and one each in Niua and Ata.

The number of licenses this year dropped in comparison to the 23 licenses issued in 2010 to local operators, who in return exported 312 tonnes to Asian markets.

Sea Cucumber depletion

In May, the Ministry of Fisheries in a sea cucumber stock survey carried out in November 2010 to March 2011 concluded significant stock depletion, especially on high commercial value cucumber such as teatfish and black teatfish, found mainly in Tongatapu.

But low value species, such as lollyfish and snakefish, remained on an average level of healthy stock.

Under the law, a closed season running from April 1 to September 30, but operators are given an extra month to dry the sea cucumbers and export them as beche-de-mers to its Asian markets.