Western Australia’s niche sea cucumber products can carry the blue eco label after the fishery achieved certification against internationally recognised standards for environmental sustainability.
The WA Sea Cucumber Fishery is WA’s 10th fishery to achieve Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for the sustainable management of a fisheries resource.
MSC is the world’s leading science-based standard and eco-labelling program for wild capture fisheries.
Each year, approximately 74 tonnes of sea cucumbers, with a gross production value of $250,000, are fished commercially from the Pilbara and Kimberley coastlines.
The majority of the product is processed for export, mainly as a dried and salted food known as beche-de-mer, a highly valuable and sought after delicacy in east and southeast Asia.
The State Government supports WA commercial fisheries aiming to achieve MSC certification and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development provides ongoing assistance to help meet certification requirements, such as audits.
As stated by Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly:
“WA is at the forefront of sustainable fisheries management, which makes our seafood some of the best available in the world.
“The Sea Cucumber Fishery is the second WA fishery to achieve certification in the past month, after the Octopus Interim Managed Fisheries achieved the ‘gold standard’ in sustainability assessment in mid-November.
“The Sea Cucumber Fishery has demonstrated it has minimal impact on the environment, due to the small size of the fishing fleet, the expansive fishing area and harvesting by hand.
“Having another of the State’s fisheries now MSC certified, will go a long way to ensure the sustainability of the resource so future generations can continue to enjoy our wild seafood.”
Minister’s office – 6552 6100
