New LearnFishID module developed for sea cucumber species

Sea cucumber species identification is a recurrent problem faced in the sea cucumber fishery. Colouration and form are the most commonly used features in identifying species, but some species have several different colouration patterns, and some can change their shape according to external factors such as induced stress or the topography of the bottom.

Sea cucumber species such as sandfish, golden sandfish, white teatfish, black teatfish, brown sandfish, curryfish, blackfish, surf redfish, stonefish, elephant trunkfish, tigerfish, chalkfish, peanut fish and lollyfish all display differences in colouration of their outer skin layer from young age to maturity, or according to habitat conditions and geographical locations, contributing to identification difficulties.

SPC SciCoFish project aims to improve collection of reef fisheries scientific data to support management

The new SPC Scientific Support for the Management of Coastal and Oceanic Fisheries in the Pacific Islands Region (SciCoFish) project funded by the European Union, first implemented in 2011, has taken up the challenge to assess coastal living marine resources, management systems and resource status to inform management. A regional workshop was held in Fiji in April 2011 to discuss the basic monitoring needs for Pacific Island countries and territories to effectively manage their coastal fisheries resources and identify gaps in scientific information on fisheries accessible to countries. The workshop identified the development of standardised and effective data collection and monitoring methodologies as a priority.