'Burnt Hot Dog' sea cucumbers raise red flags for threatened global fisheries

Sea cucumbers -- the floppy cousins of starfish and sea urchins -- are particularly vulnerable to pollution and overfishing

Date:March 22, 2016

Source:California Academy of Sciences

'Burnt Hot Dog' sea cucumbers take center stage in a new genetic study that digs into their valued spot in marine ecosystems across Japan's Okinawa Island as well as their extreme vulnerability to environmental stress and over-fishing. A team of researchers says their study's findings are an urgent call for increased fisheries management and protections for ecologically important sea cucumbers worldwide.

Holothuria edulis -- a type of slow-moving sea cucumber about the size of a classroom ruler -- boasts an important ocean role despite its uncanny resemblance to an overcooked sausage. This "Burnt Hot Dog" sea cucumber takes center stage in a new genetic study that digs into the animal's valued spot in marine ecosystems across Japan's Okinawa Island as well as its extreme vulnerability to environmental stress and overfishing. A team of researchers, including an expert from the California Academy of Sciences, says their study's findings are an urgent call for increased fisheries management and protections for ecologically important sea cucumbers, sometimes called the "vacuum cleaners of the ocean," worldwide. The study was recently published in the journal Conservation Genetics.

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