#loli

Harvesting spiked earlier this year when collectors virtually cleared some near-shore waters on Maui and Oʻahu of the creatures which are considered the “vacuum cleaners of the ocean.”

A series of public hearings are scheduled in November in response to the unprecedented large-scale commercial harvest of sea cucumbers earlier this year off of Maui and Oʻahu.

The state is considering implementing a permanent rule to prevent the over harvest of sea cucumbers, and will soon schedule public meetings to discuss the issue with residents across the state.

The Hawaiʻi Board of Land and Natural Resources today approved an emergency rule that makes it illegal to take any species of sea cucumber from Hawaiʻi State waters for the next 120 days. The rule was in response to confirmed reports of a new commercial fishery that recently started. Authorities say the investigation was supported further by public observations.

Photos show inflatable boats full of the delicacy being brought to shore at Kaiona Beach in Waimanalo, a practice that Ocean Defender Hawaiʻi says has been going on for four consecutive days. In some countries they are highly prized as a food source and for medicinal purposes; so there is a commercial market for certain individuals to harvest as many sea cucumbers, as quickly as they can.