The State of Global Sea Cucumber Trade: Key Findings from the Latest Research (2025–2026)

Two major peer-reviewed studies published in 2025 and 2026 have delivered the most comprehensive update on global sea cucumber fisheries in over a decade. The findings carry direct implications for every organization operating in the sea cucumber supply chain — from harvesters and processors to importers, distributors, and end-use manufacturers. This article summarizes the key data points and what they mean in practice for supply chain decision-making.

The Two Studies Every Sea Cucumber Industry Participant Should Know

The first is a 2025 review published in the Annual Review of Marine Science by Mercier, Purcell, Montgomery, Kinch, Byrne, and Hamel, titled "Revered and Reviled: The Plight of the Vanishing Sea Cucumbers." The Annual Review of Marine Science is one of the highest-impact peer-reviewed journals in its field. The second is a 2026 study published in the Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom by Conand, Cornet, and Lovatelli — led by Chantal Conand, described by fellow marine scientist Steven Purcell as "arguably the most experienced and widely regarded sea cucumber specialist in the world."

Together, these two studies represent the current scientific consensus on global sea cucumber fisheries status, trade dynamics, and conservation trajectory.

Global Capture Data: What the Numbers Show

Sea cucumber fisheries have continued to expand during the past decade at a fast rate, despite the predictable drop during the COVID-19 period, according to Conand et al. (2026). The specific production figures, drawn from FAO capture data across countries and territories, tell a detailed story.

Global sea cucumber capture increased from 81,831 metric tons in 2013 to 123,278 metric tons in 2018 — a 51% increase in five years. Production then remained near that level in 2019, before falling to approximately 97,000 metric tons in both 2020 and 2021. The authors note that this decline was likely associated with COVID-19 disruptions to harvesting, logistics, and trade rather than a structural change in demand.

The mean captures per year, in fresh weight, are over 90,000 tonnes across the study period, establishing this as the baseline production volume for current global supply planning purposes.

The "Serial" and "Contagious" Nature of Global Harvesting

One of the most significant characterizations in the Conand et al. (2026) study is the language used to describe the pattern of global sea cucumber exploitation. The exploitations are now qualified as "serial" and "contagious" — with the harvest of sea cucumbers spreading from place to place as stocks in previously exploited areas decline.

"Serial" exploitation refers to the sequential depletion of species within a given fishery: as high-value species become scarce, harvesters shift to lower-value species, maintaining volume while degrading the average quality and value of catches. "Contagious" exploitation refers to the geographic spread of harvesting pressure: as stocks decline in established fishing grounds, fishing activity expands into previously unexploited areas.

The practical implication for supply chain operators is significant. A supply chain built on sourcing from a single region or a single species is increasingly exposed to the risk of localized stock depletion. Geographic and species diversification within a supplier's sourcing network is becoming a supply security requirement, not simply a quality optimization strategy.

Trade Flow Data: Who Imports, Who Exports

The imports, in quantity and value, show the usual importance of China and Hong Kong, and now of Saudi Arabia. The inclusion of Saudi Arabia as a significant import market in the latest trade data reflects the growth of demand in Gulf markets — a trend with implications for suppliers building Middle East-facing supply chains.

The exports show the importance of frozen products from Canada, marking a structural shift in the commodity mix of global sea cucumber trade. Canada's emergence as a leading exporter by value — driven primarily by Cucumaria frondosa (orange-footed sea cucumber) in frozen form — reflects a broader diversification of product forms in the global trade, moving beyond the traditional dried/beche-de-mer format that has historically dominated.

For Indonesian exporters and their trading partners, this diversification is relevant context: the global market is evolving toward multiple product forms, and suppliers with processing flexibility — offering both dried and frozen formats — are positioned to access a broader buyer base.

The Aquaculture Paradox: More Production, No Price Relief

One of the most commercially counterintuitive findings in the recent literature concerns the relationship between aquaculture expansion and market prices. The 2025 Annual Review of Marine Science study states directly that "the international market for sea cucumbers is so insatiable that even the spectacular Chinese aquaculture production of the most highly valued species, Apostichopus japonicus, has failed to dampen its prices."

China's aquaculture production of Apostichopus japonicus — the Japanese sea cucumber — is conducted at industrial scale and represents one of the largest single-species aquaculture programs in global seafood. The fact that this production volume has not reduced market prices for the species is a strong signal about the structural nature of demand. For buyers planning long-term procurement strategies, this data point suggests that price appreciation for premium sea cucumber species is likely to continue regardless of aquaculture expansion, because demand growth consistently outpaces production growth.

Species at Risk: Conservation Status and Trade Implications

The collapse of sea cucumber stocks has forced moratoria on fishing or exports in 39% of sea cucumber fisheries globally, with no guarantee that stocks will recover in the future. Overexploitation is driving the risk of extinction of the most commercially valuable species, with 16 species of sea cucumbers now classified as "vulnerable" or "endangered" on the IUCN Red List.

This is the single most commercially consequential finding for supply chain operators. A moratoria rate of 39% across global fisheries means that more than one in three sea cucumber fisheries globally has already experienced stock collapse severe enough to require a regulatory halt to harvesting or exports. For organizations building supply relationships without verified documentation of sustainable sourcing practices, this statistic quantifies the systemic supply disruption risk embedded in the current market.

The IUCN Red List classifications — 16 commercially significant species listed as vulnerable or endangered — are directly relevant to procurement decisions because CITES listing proposals are typically based on IUCN assessments. Species currently classified as endangered or vulnerable are candidates for future CITES Appendix I listing, which would prohibit commercial trade entirely. Supply chains built around these species without transition planning carry significant regulatory discontinuity risk.

What the Data Means for Supply Chain Decisions in 2026

The convergence of findings across the Conand et al. (2026) and Mercier et al. (2025) studies points to a consistent set of supply chain implications.

Supply security requires verified sourcing. As serial and contagious exploitation patterns continue to reduce stock availability in established fishing grounds, the traceability of product origin — harvest region, species, quota compliance — becomes a direct supply security variable rather than a compliance formality.

Demand will not self-correct. The failure of large-scale Chinese aquaculture to dampen Apostichopus japonicus prices is evidence that demand pressure in this market is structural and persistent. Price appreciation for premium tropical species from Indonesia is the most probable long-term scenario under current conditions.

Documentation infrastructure distinguishes suppliers. In a market where 39% of fisheries have experienced regulatory shutdowns, the documentation infrastructure of a supplier — CITES permits, harvest quota compliance, Non-Detriment Findings — is a direct predictor of supply continuity. Suppliers without this infrastructure are not offering lower-cost product; they are transferring regulatory and supply discontinuity risk to their buyers.

Sepanjang monitors developments in global sea cucumber trade and regulatory frameworks as part of our operational commitment to compliant, sustainable sourcing from Indonesian waters. We welcome inquiries from organizations seeking to build or strengthen a documented, traceable sea cucumber supply chain.

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Sepanjang — Indonesia's Specialty Ocean Products Co. Sourcing high-quality sea cucumber directly from Indonesian waters for over 20 years.