Inshore Fisheries Research Project Country Assignment Report

REPORT OF A SURVEY OF THE SEA CUCUMBER RESOURCES

OF HAAPAI, TONGA

n l i l i i i i 03164 '

Bibliotheque CPS

South Pacific Commission Noumea, New Caledonia

Report of a survey of the sea cucumber resources of Ha'apai, Tonga

June 1990

G.L. Preston

SUMMARY

2 SURVEY ACTIVITIES

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

SUMMARY

A two-week survey of beche-de-mer resources was earned out in Ha'apai, Tonga, by the Tonga Fisheries Division, with the assistance of the South Pacific Commission and the Papua New Guinea Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources. The survey took place during June 1990.

broodstock, at least for some species.

Ti. • __ J- J w-ftTvmfn ^fl.mlAnmant _ r tL ' _ • +

1 and 2 Tongan Pa'anga per animal toihtptxessot, this fishery could ultimately be worth between 0.5 and 1.0 million Pa'anga per year to the area.

No management of the fishery is proposed at present since this does not appear to be needed. However, it is

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

1 INTRODUCTION

[ was active in Ha'apai area. Another local

ram both Vava'u and Ha'apai

1986, with most of hisi in Vava'u until £

. Neither of these two operations is still Ha'apai in the mid-1980's to assess for i

One in supplies of beche-de-mer. Since no training in SCUBA use was given to the

on his first

1.3

iut in Tonga, both in 1984/5, by a 1984). The first survey covered the Vava'u area

2 SURVEY ACTIVITIES

practice, no work was earned < with appropriate To _ transport vessel, Dora Malia. These team members travelled to Pangai in Ha'apia on the night of June 19,

fisheries staff, and planning the details of the survey work. The survey vessel proper, the 26- foot Yamaha model SQ-15 fibreglass vessel Vete, was scheduled to arrive from Vava'u the same day, but was delayed due to mechanical problems with the gearbox. The first day of survey work, Thursday June 21, was thus completed by SCUBA diving at eight separate stations from an outboard-powered fibreglass skiff. The Vete arrived in Ha'apai early on the morning of Friday June 22, and from then on was used for all further survey work. A further 9

on Friday June 22, and 10 on Saturday June 23, all by SCUBA diving. Sunday, an day of rest in Tonga, provided an opportunty to bring data recording up to date and to discuss the

[so far.

Eight SCUBA stations wei

jning, and strenghthened the following ; covered in the lee of Ha'afeva at this ti

for safety reasons. The wind lessened slightly on

ete proceeded to.

26Sto°nS : timated 201 was called off for the rest of the day

27, when the last 7 survey dives were trip to Nukualofa i

back on the ferry on 28, arriving in

was spent repacking equipment for departure, inded to leave a draft report with the Tonga F

of the team early in the morning of Saturday The draft report was ultimately delivered to th

prior to the 30, but the Division for

2.3

All field ; by SCUBA As a result, a variety of

1 Poseidon portable diving compressor 4 full sets SCUBA diving equipment

depth gaug(

1 TheEdge dive 2 wooden manta boards fitted with General

1 MimUaifsO 1 Autohelm P

1 Ranging 5000 rangefinder 4 writing slates with Celcast

belt)

P50 low-speed and with Formica

type)

taped onto A4-sized Formica

Other;

2.4 Methods

The survey work consisted of team members examining selected survey sites for the presence of sea cucumbers and enumerating those species of interest according to a standardised method that also allowed calculation of the area of the survey site. The data gathered was then stratified by depth and geographical features and, in combination with bathymetric data from marine charts, was used to make extrapolations as to standing stocks of each important species by the strata selected.

The daily routine was to clean and make ready underwater equipment such as writing slates, flowmeters, etc, check batteries where necessary, and prepare food and drinks for the day. Diving gear and other equipment was then loaded onto the vessel, which normally left the wharf around 0930. After travelling to the nearest survey site, the first dive normally took place soon after 1000, and continued until the light began to fail or air supplies were exhausted, at which time the Vete returned to port. The gear was unloaded, usually by about 1800, and tank filling was commenced by one team member while others transcribed survey data onto permanent data sheets or into the portable computer. These tasks were normally completed between 2200 and 2400 depending on the day's air usage, the amount of data to be transcribed, and the time of return from the field.

For the field sampling, the approximate positions of survey sites were selected in advance on a haphazard basis using nautical charts. The area to be surveyed was limited by the depth to which SCUBA diving could be practically carried out and by exposure to prevailing winds, although only in the last two days of the survey did weather conditions prevent surveying in selected areas. Once the vesel was approximately on station in the selected area, depth was checked using the hand-held echo-sounder. The final depth-was selected after taking into account the divers' programme so far and for the remainder of the day so as not to limit bottom time, and to enable a coverage of different depths adequate to provide depth distribution profiles for the key species. One diver used a dive computer to monitor nitrogen uptake, and diving was scheduled so that the dive profiles of all team members were similar. French military dive tables were also consulted in dive planning to ensure that safe dive limits were never exceeded.

Dives were spaced at approximately half-hour intervals. Except for the first day, dives were made by alternating pairs of individuals, hence each pair dived about once per hour. The same pair of SCUBA tanks were used in successive dives until they were almost empty, then replaced. A total of eight tanks were available, although one was retired from service after the second day because it appeared to have been contaminated internally. Dives typically lasted for 10-15 minutes, during which the boatman used the motor to keep the vessel on station. Immediately before the divers entered the water, bearings were taken of prominent local landmarks using the hand-bearing compass. If the weather was calm enough to allow observation of the divers' bubble trail, or if they could be seen, the vessel followed them so as to enable rapid pick-up when they surfaced. At other times the team members still on board scanned continuously for the divers on the surface. As dive times and directions of swim were reasonably predictable, the divers were almost always spotted straight away. On the one day when conditions were rough enough to make this process less reliable, diving was cancelled for the day.

After entering the water, one diver had responsibility to monitor the time, distance and direction travelled, and current conditions. This was done using a wooden manta board with a low-speed current meter attached below, and with a depth gauge, a compass, and a writing tablet on its upper surface (see figure 1). The flowmeter reading was noted, then the unit was placed on the seabed for exactly one minute, after which the new reading was noted. During this time the second diver, who carried the underwater slate, made notes on depth, general bottom topography and benthos. The transect then began, with the manta board operator maintaining a constatnt swimming speed and direction for 5 minutes. The second diver swam slightly behind and above and recorded all sea cucumbers observed in a path whose estimated width depended on visibility, degree of vertical relief, and the abundance of the animals. Once the 5-minute swim was complete, a new one-minute stationary reading was taken from the flowmeter, to provide a new estimate of current conditions, while the second diver again recorded depth and any comments or observations from the dive. The divers then returned to the vessel.

to be inserted

Figure 1: Photograph of manta board with flowmeter

Minor changes to the technique were made as the survey progressed but in general the survey methods used were found to be satisfactory in optimising area coverage with the limited amount of air available and the need to minimise bottom time for divers working so intensively.

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.3 Overall

Conand (1989) cites comparitive data from other areas.^In the Solomons, densities of H. nobiUs were

animals/ 1,000 m2.

elsewhere. Development of the resoura ne&ds tobescalSteck toSke Uiis

3.4 Depth distribution

A strong stratification of sea cucumber abundance with depth was noted, as shown in figure 3.

1 s ! » 1 1 1 8 1 8 1 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5

Density (animals per 1,000 sq. m)

Figure 3: Combined depth distribution of major sea cucumber species

Densities appear to undergo a gradual increase with depth. A peak occurs in the 5-10 m depth range, mainly because of the presence of Holothuria fuscopunctata. Holothuria fuscogilva shows the most pronounced increase in abundance with depth. All other species appear to show declining densities as depth increases. This is seen more clearly in figure 4, which shows individual depth profiles for each species.

The depth distributions have implications for both harvesting and management. It is unlikely that beche-de-mer collectors will free-dive down to depths of 20 m or more, hence if collection is by free-diving the animals in the lower depth ranges will be protected. In the absence of contradictory information it would be reasonable to assume the general principle that as long as an adequate part of the stock remains in the sea to reproduce, a fishery at some level could be maintained on a sustainable basis. Provided that SCUBA gear is not used in collection activities, this is likely to be the case with beche-de-mer in Ha'apai.

0-5

5-10

10-15

15-20

20-25

25-30

1 0.06

jiii 0.04 i i l i i i

11 0.02

T. ananas

— | — , — | — . — i — « — i — i — | — i — | 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30

0-5

5-10

10-15

15-20

20-25

25-30

0.06

P o.c 0 . 0 1

0.03

H. nobilis

' I I 0.07

0.03

1 1 , 1 1 1 1 1 s 1 ! J

0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30

0-5

5-10

10-15

15-20

20-25

25-30

H. fuscopunctata

0.19

0.03

m m 0.02

I P : m mm 0.03

mm 111 0.03

| , i 1—|—i 1—« j — i — j 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30

0-5

5-10

10-15

15-20

20-25

25-30

T.anax

0.13 iiiMiiiiiiniyHnijiiy

0.11

0.11

0.03

0.08

1 8—I 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30

0-5

5-10

10-15

15-20

20-25

25-30

0.03

0.07

0.06 H. fuscogilva

0.09

— j 0.18

0.26 i i .—i .—j ,—j •—, ,—j

0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30

0-5 Actinopyga sp.

5-10 0.06

10-15 | 0.01

15-20 J o . 0 2

20-25

25-30

' i t i • i • i T 1 r—i 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30

Figure 4: Depth distributions for individual species. Horixontal axes show density in animals per 1000 m2 . Vertcal axes show depth in metres.

3.5

Foa

ated area of sea floor I Estimated total sea 10 and 30 m depth (in population (in ni 1000's of m2)

50,125 193,482 45,750 176,595 32,211 124,334 21,874 84,432 13,809 53,304 12755 49,234 9,540 36,825 8,328 32,145 7,959 30,721 5,271 20,345 4,638 17,904 3,900 15,055 3,768 14,544 3,321 12,817 3,057 11,800 2,794 10,783 2,635 10,173 2,583 9,969 2,477 9,562 2,266 8,748 2,056 7,935 1,845 7,121 1,845 7,121 1,687 6,510 1423 5,493 1,370 5,290 1,318 5,086 1,265 4,883 1,212 4,679 1,054 4,069 8,907 34,381

263,043 1,015,346

presOTdrnhe ^ ^gnws^etLri^oMhJcolfe^ 2 Pa'anga per animal, the fishery could be worth between 0.5 and 1 million Pa'anga a year to local operators if

5 REFERENCES

Conand, C. (1989). The fishery resources of Pacific Island countries. Part 2. Holothurians. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper, No 272.2. FAO, Rome.

Okamoto, K. (undated). Beche-de-mer (sea cucumber) stock survey: report 1. Tonga Fisheries Division. Mimeo, pag. var.

Okamoto, K. (1984). Beche-de-mer (sea cucumber) stock survey: report 2. Tonga Fisheries Division. Mimeo, pag. var. 21 JUNE 1990

Appendix 1: Station sites and characteristics

STATIC* DATE SITE STATION COORDINATES DIVERS Landmark Bear- Landmark Bear- Landmark Bear-

in e ing ing 1 21/06/90 21.01 N. Nukunamu 138 Bukatula Pt 121 N. Ha'ano 002 G/P 2 21/06/90 21.02 N. Nukunamu 145 Bukatula Pt 332 S. Ha'ano 117 G/P 3 21/06/90 21.03 S. Ha'ano 112 N. Nukunamu 142 S. Nukunamu 152 G/P 4 21/06/90 21.04 N. Nukunamu 139 S. Nukunamu 158 S. Ha'ano 073 G/P 5 21/06/90 21.05 - - - - - - G/P 6 21/06/90 21.06 N. Nukunamu 048 S. Nukunamu 083 N. Faleloa 091 G/P 7 21/06/90 21.07 S. Ha'ano 031 N. Nukunamu 040 N. Faleloa 049 G/P 8 21/06/90 21.08 N.Foa 048 Faleloa Pt 053 Lotofoa PL 072 G/P 9 22/06/90 22.01 W. Uoleva 192 Hakau Loa Lt 194 Pangai Sml Bn 206 G/T 10 22/06/90 22.02 Hakau Loa Lt 149 N. Uiha 175 S. Lifuka 176 P/N 11 22/06/90 22.03 W. Uiha 171 S. Lifuka 161 Hakau Loa Lt 110 G/T 12 22/06/90 22.04 - - - - - - P/N 13 22/06/90 22.05 N. Lifuka 031 Palace 155 Hakau Loa Lt 195 G/T 14 22/06/90 22.06 Lotofoa Pt. 040 S. Lifuka 186 Muikuku Bn 190 P/N 15 22/06/90 22.07 Lotofoa Pt. 040 S.Foa 075 N. Lifuka 099 G/T 16 22/06/90 22.08 N.Foa 043 S. Foa 166 Muikuku Pt 195 P/N 17 22/06/90 22.09 S. Ha'ano 034 N. Nukunamu 042 N. Ha'ano 359 G/T 18 23/06/90 23.01 S. Lifuka 144 N. Uoleva 175 S. Uoleva 211 P/N 19 23/06/90 23.02 S. Lifuka 124 N. Uoleva 169 S. Uoleva 218 G/T 20 23/06/90 23.03 NW Lifuka 020 SW Uoleva 042 E. Lifuka 075 P/N 21 23/06/90 23.04 N. Uoleva 076 S. Uoleva 198 - 240 G/T 22 23/06/90 23.05 N Uoleva 057 S. Uoleva 181 E. Luangahu 227 P/N 23 23/06/90 23.06 SE. Uoleva 072 N. Uiha 117 W. Tatafa 144 G/T 24 23/06/90 23.07 N. Tatafa 023 S. Tatafa 102 W. Uoleva 352 P/N 25 23/06/90 23.08 N. Tatafa 042 S. Tatafa 076 N. Uiha 084 G/T 26 23/06/90 23.09 N. Tatafa 063 S. Tatafa 083 N. Uiha 086 P/N 27 23/06/90 23.10 N. Ulungahu 065 N. Ulungahu 081 N. Uiha 086 G/r 28 25/06/90 25.01 S. Tatafa 083 N. Uiha 099 N. Tatafa 311 P/N 29 25/06/90 25.02 S. Tatafa 001 N. Uiha 018 S. Uiha 170 G/P 30 25/06/90 25.03 S. Tatafa 009 N. Uiha 018 N. Tatafa 349 P/N 31 25/06/90 25.04 N. Uiha 013 S. Uiha 068 W. Uoleva 350 G/P 32 25/06/90 25.05 N. Tofaga 196 N. Uanukuhahaki 207 S. Uanukuhahaki 211 P/N 33 25/06/90 25.06 N. Uanukuhahaki 115 S. Uanukuhahaki 223 N. Uanukuhihifo 231 G/P 34 25/06/90 25.07 N. Uanukuhahaki 076 N. Uanukuhihifo 144 S. Uanukuhihifo 191 P/N 35 25/06/90 25.08 N. Uanukuhahaki 019 S. Uanukuhihifo 331 N. Uanukuhihifo 346 G/P 36 26/06/90 26.01 N. Ha'afeva 044 S. Ha'afeva 153 N. Fetoa 172 P/N 37 26/06/90 26.02 N. Ha'afeva 083 S. Ha'afeva 173 E. Matuku 207 G/P 38 26/06/90 26.03 N. Ha'afeva 137 S. Ha'afeva 201 N. Matuku 213 P/N 39 27/06/90 27.01 L. Oua 113 R. Oua 151 L. Kongahalota 195 G/P 40 27/06/90 27.02 L. Oua 097 R. Oua 116 L. Fakahieu 162 P/N 41 27/06/90 27.03 R. Oua 068 L. Ha'afeva 344 R. Ha'afeva 353 G/P 42 27/06/90 27.04 L. Oua 136 R. Oua 172 L. Fakahigu 200 P/N 43 27/06/90 27.05 L. Oua 183 R. Oua 225 L. Teauba 319 G/P 44 27/06/90 27.06 L. Oua 244 R. Oua 271 R. Luanamu 292 P/N 45 27/06/90 27.07 L. Oua 255 R. Oua 270 L. Ha'afeva 318 G/P

Appendix 2: Flowmeter data

STATION INITIAL CURRENT READING METER READING TERMINAL CURRENT READING FROM TO RESULT START FINISH RESULT FROM TO RESULT

1 67925 67963 38 67952 65338 -2614 65350 65440 90 2 65128 65131 3 65138 64474 -664 ? 7 3 64452 64450 -2 64442 62577 -1865 7 ? 4 62086 62086 62090 59869 -2221 59869 59904 35 5 59370 59372 2 59376 56713 -2663 ? 7 6 992835 992830 -5 992835 990911 -1924 990911 990915 4 7 989165 989166 1 989166 986031 -3135 ? ? 8 983796 983805 9 983805 982124 -1681 982124 982148 24 9 992385 992384 -1 992384 990880 -1504 990880 990880 10 82739 82740 1 82744 80343 -2401 80341 80339 -2 11 986205 986207 2 986207 984840 -1367 984840 984855 15 12 78522 78525 3 78524 76268 -2256 76268 76278 10 13 983965 983960 -5 983960 982364 -1596 982364 982379 15 14 75818 75815 -3 75815 72883 -2932 72880 72887 7 15 981210 981210 981210 979234 -1976 979234 979195 -39 16 72069 72080 11 72080 69655 -2425 69655 69655 17 979744 979741 -3 979741 978966 -775 978966 978963 -3 18 170603 170614 11 170614 167596 -3018 167596 167595 -1 19 949150 949153 3 949153 947726 -1427 947732 947734 2 20 167022 167026 4 167026 164467 -2559 164467 164473 6 21 947290 947290 947290 945790 -1500 945790 945790 22 163653 163643 -10 163643 161192 -2451 161192 161178 -14 23 945315 945315 945315 943683 -1632 943683 943614 -69 24 159524 159524 159524 156792 -2732 7 ? 25 156365 156365 156365 154996 -1369 154946 154951 5 26 154657 154660 3 154660 152573 -2087 152573 152571 -2 27 936845 936847 2 936847 935280 -1567 935280 935294 14 28 207380 207378 -2 207378 204765 -2613 204765 204766 1 29 912725 912725 912725 910068 -2657 910068 910068 30 203252 203254 2 203254 200369 -2885 200369 200375 6 31 904025 904154 129 904154 902200 -1954 902200 902198 -2 32 203438 203439 1 203439 200476 -2963 200476 200476 33 919055 919054 -1 919055 917182 -1873 917182 917182 34 195209 195230 21 195230 192913 -2317 192913 192915 2 35 909543 909438 -105 909438 907530 -1908 907530 907530 36 166753 166925 172 166925 164074 -2851 164074 164166 92 37 892686 892679 -7 892679 890433 -2246 890433 890409 -24 38 166005 166060 55 166060 162435 -3625 162435 162425 -10 39 189053 189050 -3 189050 186312 -2738 186312 186311 -1 40 872062 872058 -4 872057 869495 -2562 869495 869495 41 184149 184149 184149 181727 -2422 181727 181728 1 42 901656 901655 -1 901655 898815 -2840 898815 898815 43 168000 168000 168000 166737 -1263 ? ? 44 925258 925266 8 925266 922532 -2734 922532 922531 -1 45 163230 163284 54 163284 161525 -1759 161525 161539 14

Appendix 3: Station sizes

STATION TIME fmins") DEPTH fm> DISTANCE BAND AREA STATION START FINISH DURA- START FINISH AVERAGE SWUM WIDTH COVERED START

TION Cm) (m) (sa. m) 1 1318.0 1328.0 10.0 21 34 28 199 10 1,987 2 1438.0 1441.0 3.0 16 16 16 34 10 343 3 1445.0 1450.0 5.0 22 26 24 95 10 946 4 1522.0 1527.0 5.0 19 18 19 122 8 978 5 1600.0 1605.0 5.0 8 8 8 136 10 1.364 6 1629.0 1634.0 5.0 18 12 15 98 8 783 7 1700.0 1705.0 5.0 18 18 18 160 8 1,282 8 1743.0 1748.0 5.0 14 13 14 94 8 753 9 1115.5 1121.5 6.0 6 6 6 76 8 611 10 1145.0 1150.0 5.0 18 16 17 122 10 1.222 11 1226.5 1232.5 6.0 24 28 26 75 10 749 12 1300.0 1305.0 5.0 27 25 26 118 10 1,184 13 1344.5 1350.5 6.0 11 12 12 84 10 845 14 1416.0 1421.0 5.0 18 18 18 151 10 1,506 15 1451.0 1456.5 5.5 11 12 12 90 10 899 16 1522.0 1527.0 5.0 15 16 16 127 10 1,265 17 ? ? 5.0 15 13 14 38 10 380 18 1124.0 1130.0 6.0 22 23 23 157 10 1,570 19 1156.0 1201.5 6.5 15 16 16 74 10 745 20 1225.0 1230.0 5.0 9 10 10 133 10 1.331 21 1304.5 1310.0 5.5 23 22 23 77 10 765 22 ? ? 5.0 16 17 17 119 10 1,189 23 1418.5 1423.5 5.0 15 7 11 66 10 657 24 ? ? 5.0 7 10 9 139 10 1,394 25 1517.5 1522.5 5.0 3 2 3 71 10 711 26 1541.0 1546.0 5.0 10 10 10 107 8 854 27 1627.0 1632.0 5.0 14 15 15 84 10 840 28 0943.0 0948.0 5.0 3 3 3 133 6 798 29 1017.0 1024.0 7.0 15 13 14 136 10 1,356 30 1043.0 1048.0 5.0 9 9 9 149 10 1.492 31 1117.0 1123.0 6.0 3 9 6 139 10 1,386 32 1144.0 1149.0 5.0 18 19 19 151 8 1,211 33 1233.0 1239.0 6.0 12 13 13 95 10 953 34 1308.0 1312.0 4.0 7 5 6 123 10 1,229 35 1356.0 1401.0 5.0 9 9 9 71 10 706 36 0940.0 0945.0 5.0 13 12 13 213 10 2,128 37 1009.0 1014.0 5.0 11 11 11 107 8 853 38 1039.0 1044.0 5.0 6 4 5 196 10 1,964 39 1021.0 1027.0 6.0 6 7 7 138 6 831 40 1049.0 1054.0 5.0 13 13 13 130 8 1.038 41 1131.0 1136.5 5.5 12 10 11 124 4 495 42 1216.0 1221.0 5.0 12 10 11 145 8 1,157 43 1304.0 1307.0 3.0 15 12 14 64 6 387 44 1444.0 1450.0 6.0 11 6 9 142 10 1,416 45 1521.5 1526.5 5.0 9 9 9 107 8 857

TOTAL 238.0 5,209 47,413 AVERAGE 5.3 13.3 116 1.054

Appendix 4: Survey data for commercial sea cucumbers

STATION Holothuria nobilis n d

Holothuria fuscogilva

n d

Holothuria fuscopunctatJ

n d

Thelenota i ananas

n d

Thelenota anax

n d

Actinopygs sp

n d

i Total commercial

n d 1 2 3 4 5

5 2.52 1 0.50

1 1.06

1 0.73

3 1.51 2 5.82 1 1.06 2 2.05

9 4.53 2 5.82 2 2.11 2 2.05 1 0.73

6 7 8 9 10

1 0.78

1 1.64 1 0.82

1 1.28 3 2.34

2 1.64

1 1.28

1 0.82

3 3.98

1 0.82

2 2.55

2 2.65

4 5.11 4 3.12 5 6.64 1 1.64 5 4.09

11 12 13 14 15

5 4.22 1 1.18 1 0.66

5 5.92 2 1.33

5 4.22 6 7.10 3 1.99

16 17 18 19 20

1 2.63

3 4.03

3 2.37

4 2.55 1 1.34 1 1.34

1 2.63

1 1.34

1 2.63

2 2.69

3 237 3 7.89 4 2.55 8 10.74

21 22 23 24 25

1 1.31 1 0.84

2 2.81

2 2.61 1 0.84

1 0.72 1 1.41

1 1.52

1 1.41

3 2.52 3 3.92 5 4.20 1 1.52 1 0.72 4 5.62

26 27 28 29 30

2 2.38 1 1.19

1 0.67 6 4.02

1 1.19 4 4.76

7 4.69 31 32 33 34 35

1 0.72

2 2.83 1 0.81

17 24.09

1 0.72

1 0.81 19 26.93

36 37 38 39 40

1 0.47

1 0.96

1 1.17

1 0.96

1 0.51

3 1.41

2 1.93

4 1.88 1 1.17 1 0.51

4 3.86 41 42 43 44 45

1 2.59 1 0.71

1 0.86

1 0.71 7 8.17

1 2.59 15 10.59

2 5.17 1 2.59 8 5.65

1 0.86 5 12.93

25 17.65 7 8.17

TOTAL OVERALL AVERAGE NON-ZERO AVERAGE

15 0.33 0.46 1.36 1.87

44 0.98 0.86 2.10 1.84

33 0.73 0.64 2.54 2.20

10 0.22 0.30 1.25 1.68

48 1.07 1.37 3.20 4.10

11 0.24 0.24 3.67 3.64

161 3.58 3.86 3.58 4.96

Appendix 5: Survey data for non-commercial sea cucumbers

STATION Bohad- Bohad- Bohad- Holo- Holo- Holo- Stichopus Stichopus schia schia schia thuria thuria thuria variegatus chloro-areus marmoratus SD atra edulis sp notus

1 2 2 3 1 4 5 6 7 8 1 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 1 19 20 21 22 23 1 24 2 25 26 2 2 27 28 1 29 1 1 30 5 4 5 31 1 32 1 33 34 35 1 36 1 37 38 39 3 1 12 3 40 4 7 1 41 2 7 6 42 6 18 5 43 1 TNTC 44 16 2 5 TNTC 1 45 2 4 1 TNTC TNTC 7

TOTAL 34 28 1 10+ 51+ 1 15 7 OVERALL AVERAGE 0.76 0.62 0.02 0.22+ 1.13+ 0.02 0.33 0.16 NON-ZERO AVERAGI 3.09 2.80 1.00 1.67+ 8.50+ 1.00 5.00 3.50

TNTC=Too numerous to count