A rapid assessment of online trade in sea cucumber and fish maw in Malaysia and Singapore

Thousands of kilogrammes of the two high-value marine delicacies were found for sale online during an 11-day period on dozens of sites in the two countries, reported A Rapid Assessment of Online Trade in Sea Cucumber and Fish Maw in Malaysia and Singapore.

While most of this is legal, the high volumes and presence of threatened and internationally-regulated species is cause for concern.

We believe the actual volume of trade is much higher than what was recorded during the rapid assessment as some sellers claimed they were able to supply large amounts on a monthly basis.”

Kanitha Krishnasamy, Director for TRAFFIC in Southeast Asia

“The international nature of the trade means it also has a wide environmental footprint with the items offered online in Malaysia and Singapore, reportedly sourced from over a dozen countries globally,” said Krishnasamy.

Fish maw, the dried or processed swim bladders of fish, and sea cucumber are both in demand for their perceived medicinal value and luxury foods. Along with shark fin and abalone, they form the ‘big four’ traditional seafood delicacies widely consumed throughout Asia.

The study found sea cucumbers under tremendous pressure from trafficking. At least 92 tonnes of smuggled sea cucumber, plus another 112,694 pieces not recorded by weight, were seized from 2015 to 2021.

0ver 80% of the seizures took place in 2019 alone. Seizures were recorded in 23 countries; Malaysia was among the top five countries with the highest volume seized.

At least 24 countries have documented closures of sea cucumber fisheries following severe declines in sea cucumber biomass due to overfishing. The discovery of several endangered and protected species of sea cucumbers and fish maw from threatened species in the online survey places them in an even more precarious situation.

"When you combine high trafficking volumes, legal international trade of endangered and protected species and grey areas in its regulation, it spells trouble for species survival in the long term,” said Krishnasamy.

“Regulators across both source and consumer countries need to expand oversight in their regulation, including for online trade,” she added.

Authors suggested that by casting a wider net and monitoring online trade, authorities would have a fuller understanding of the scale of the trade and could act more effectively to control it and ensure stricter compliance with national and international regulations.

The study also recommended the introduction of traceability systems to verify that only legal and sustainable products were supplied in the market, and labelling to ensure consumers were fully aware when making purchases.

The authors said DNA analysis of sea cucumber and fish maw in the market and in seizures should be carried out whenever possible to identify the range of species involved  – filling in a current gap in knowledge of how the trade may be impacting species – especially those already on the endangered list.

TRAFFIC’s previous research looking at marine resources such as fish maw and sea cucumber highlighted similar issues and provided insights into trade from Africa to Asia.