Beche-de-mer or the cured holothurian is considered a delicacy in some of the South-East Asian countries.

The entire quantity of about 30,000 kg produced annually at present in the country is exported since it is not

consumed locally.

Holothuria scabra is the species almost exclusively used in this country for this pxu-pose. It is comparatively

large growing to about 300 mm in length and weighing over half a kilogram in fresh condition. The

holothurians are collected by divers in 2 to 6 fathoms depth of waters from February to September, the peak

season being in June to August. They are also brought in appreciable numbers in trawls.

Along the Indian coasts holothurians occur in large numbers in the Gulf of Kutch and along the southeast

coast. The holothurians are more abundant in the Palk Bay than in the Gulf of Mannar. In the

Laccadive Islands and the Andaman group of Islands which have coral reefs and lagoons the large sized

species of holothurians like Thelenota ananas, Holothuria marmorata and Actinopyga mauritiana are well

suited for this purpose. With proper exploitation of the totally unexploited grounds, the annual production

of beche-de-mer can be increased substantially

James, D B

CMFRI Digital Repository

pfli ) f 'fHI H.r'\j,ijn''^ PROCEEDINGS OF THE SYMPOSIUM ON LIVING RESOURCES OF THE SEAS AROUND INDIA ICAR SPECIAL PUBLICATION C€NTR/^ L MARINE FISHERIES RESEARCH INSTITUTE C O C H I N - 1 1 1973 THE BECa£-DE-M£R RESOURCES OF INDIA D. B, JAMES* Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Mandapam Camp ABSTRACT Beche-de-mer or the cured holothurian is considered a delicacy in some of the South-East Asian countries. The entire quantity of about 30,000 kg produced annually at present in the country is exported since it is not consumed locally. Holothuria scabra is the species almost exclusively used in this country for this pxu-pose. It is compara-tively large growing to about 300 mm in length and weighing over half a kilogram in fresh condition. The holothurians are collected by divers in 2 to 6 fathoms depth of waters from February to September, the peak season being in June to August. They are also brought in appreciable numbers in trawls. Along the Indian coasts holothurians occur in large numbers in the Gulf of Kutch and along the south-east coast. The holothurians are more abundant in the Palk Bay than in the Gulf of Mannar. In the Laccadive Islands and the Andaman group of Islands which have coral reefs and lagoons the large sized species of holothurians like Thelenota ananas, Holothuria marmorata and Actinopyga mauritiana are well suited for this purpose. With proper exploitation of the totally unexploited grounds, the annual produc-tion of beche-de-mer can be increased substantially. Beche-de-mer is the commercial name given to the cured holothurians which is considered a delicacy in some of the South-East Asian countries. It is prepared from the body walls of certain species of large holothurians belonging to the families Holothuriidae and Stichopodidae. This product is of some economic importance in India; it is completely exported and not consumed locally. There is a good scope to develop this industry because of the vast variety of holothurians which occur in large numbers in the seas around India. There are about twenty species of shallow water holothurians suitable for making beche-de-mer. In the Indian region the south-east coast of India, the Laccadives and the Andaman group of Islands ar<. very rich in holothurian fauna. The Anda-man group of Islands and the Laccadives are particularly very important from the exploitation point of view since these have not so far been tapped and also because of the occurrence of large species of holothurians which go into the preparation of high quality of beche-de-mer. The beche-de-mer industry is an age old one and has been introduced by the Chinese into India. It is also prepared in other coimtrits lilce Japan, Au-tralia, Palau, Caroline and Mariana Islands, New Guinea, Nfcw Calendoia, Samoa, Tahiti, Hawaii, Indo-China, SomaUa, Kenya, Zanzibar, Madagascar and Mauritius. Panning (1944) has reviewed the industry on a world basis. Clark (1921) has given an account of the beche-de-mer industry from the Torres Strait. A detailed account of this industry and its revival in India is given by Honiell (1917). Krishnamurthi (1957) and Chari (1964) have made some remarks on the industry in India. The Indian industry is restricted to the south-east coast and 65,743 kg of beche-de-mer was ex-ported in the period 1898 to 1910 giving an average of 5,479 kg per annum. After 1910 the annual Indian export has diminished considerably but in the recent years from 1965 over 20,000 kg of beche-de-mer was exported annually (Tables I and II). •Present Address: C.M.F.R. Survey Centre, 30/193-1, D. V.SubbaRao Rd., Malkapatnam, Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh. tHE Beche-de-Mer RESOURCES OF INDIA 707 Thelenota ananas (Prickly-red fish) (Fig. 1, K, PI. I, A), Actinopyga mauritiana (Red fish) (Fig. 1, A, PI. I, B), Microthele nobilis (Mammy fish) (Fig. 1, L, PI. I, D), Holothuria marmorata (Sand fish) (Fig. 1, C, PI. I, C), H. argus (Tiger fish). H. scabra (Sand fish) (Fig. 1, J., PI. I, E), H. spinifera (PI. I, F), H. mobei (Fig. 1, E), H. edulis, H. arenicola, H. impatiens, H. leucospilota (Fig.. 1, F). H. atra (Lolly fish) (Fig. 1, D), Stichopus chloronotus (Fig. 1,1) and Stichopus variegatus (Fig. 1, H) are some of the common holothurians used for beche-de-mer in different parts of the world. All the above species occur in good numbers in the seas around India which indicates the richness of the holothurian fauna in the region. Of these at present only Holothuria scabra and H spinifera are the two species used for beche-de-mer at a few places along the south-east coast of India. TABLE I Export of beche-de-mer from Madras Presidency, 1898-1916 Year 1898-1899 1899-1900 1900-1901 1901-1902 1902-1903 1903-1904 1904-1905 1905-1906 1906-1907 1907-1908 1908-1909 1909-1910 1910-1911 1911-1912 1912-1913 1913-1914 1914-1915 1915-1916 TOTAL Weight of beche-de-mer (Kg) 25,601 1,260 . • •. , . 14.528 30,845 3,125 9,992 12,758 8,609 1,222 2,820 504 1,360 • • 2,167 1,14,793 Value of beche-de-mer 15,380 00 1,140 00 . . , . •. • • 15,203 00 24,300 00 3,100-00 8.460-00 7,020 00 5,039 00 655 00 800 00 596-00 600 00 • • 1,42600 83,719 00 Source: Madras Fisheries Bulletin, 4 (1917). Species like Thelenota ananas, Actinopyga mauritiana, A. echinites, Microthele nobilis, Holo-thuria marmorata, H. argus and H. scabra aie preferred for preparing beche-de-mer because of their large size and thick body walls. Holothuria impatiens and H. arenicola which have lot of chalky deposits in the body walls are not well suited for this purpose because of the diiTiculty in making the product free from the chalky deposits. 708 t>. B. JAMtes TABLE II Export of beche-de-mer from India, 1963-69 Year 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 TOTAL Weight of beche-de-mer (Kg.) 3,049 1,275 24,974 21,886 38,422 64,535 69,051 2,23,191 Value of beche-de-mer 7,529 00 2,550-00 21,125'00 39,631-00 43,672-00 10,3,820-00 5,77,898.00 7,96,225-00 Source: /nrfw« Seafoods, 2 (1964); 3 (1965); 5 (1967); 6 (1969). Calm shallow waters with sandy or slightly muddy bottoms and coral reefs with lagoons are the most suitable habitats for the holothurians. They are sluggish creatures with restricted move-ments and henct sheltered waters and calm bays are the be&t places for their living. However there are a few species on rocjcy shores where there, is heavy wave action but as a rule holothurians avoid such conditions. The Andaman group of Islands ranks first for its richness of holothurians in the Indian region^ Next in importance i? the Laccadive Archipelago where the large sized holothurian, Thelenota ananas which is most sought after by the curers, occurs. Along the south-east coast of India, the Madras State ranks first for the rich holothurian fauna. In other states the holothurian fauna is poor with the exception of Kerala on the south-west coast. In the Gujarat state Holothuria atra is the only species that can be commeicially used and it is found in the Gulf of Kutch and the surrounding Islands. In Maharashtra State none of the species seem to be commercially important. In the Mysore State Holothuria atra and H. leucospilota are the two species of commercial impor-tance. In Kerala State at places like Vizhingam and Kovalam Holothuria moebi and H. cinerascens arc found in large numbers anchored to Jocks and live in the supralittoral zone. The com-mercial value of Holothuria cinerascens remains to be studied and finally this may prove to be a potential source for beche-de-mer. This species grows to a large size of 300 mm and has fairly thick body wall which is well suited for this purpose. The collection of this species is also not diffi-cult since they are anchored to the rock and lie almost exposed during the low tide. In general the bottom along the Kerala coast is muddy and this accounts for the rarity of holothurians in the area. Holothuria scabra, H.^atra, H. spinifera and .Stichopus variegatus are found in good numbers in Madras State along the Palk Bay and Gulf of Maniiar. Commercially important species are rare along the AndhraandOrissa coasts due , to muddy bottoms. The occurrence of holothurians in West Bengal near Calcutta and other places is highly restricted due to the estuarine conditions. Along the south-east coast of India the beche-de-mer industry extends from Rameswaram (Ramnad District) to Koliukadu (Tanjore District) along the Palk Bay and at a few places along the Gulf of Mannar. Rameswaram, Mandapam, Devipattinam, Tirupalakudi, Karangadu, MuUi-munai, Pudupatnam, Somanathpatnam and Koliukadu are the main centres along the Palk Bay and Mandapam, Pamban, Vedalai and Kilakarai are the four centres along the Gulf of Mannar. The industry docs not exist south of Tuticorin because of the non-availability of commercially im-portant holothurians. In this connection it is significant to note that Mahadcvan and Nagappan Nayar (1967) during their underwater ecological observations in the Gulf of Mannar off Tuticorin THE Beche-de-Mer RESOURCES OF INDIA 709 FIG. 1. Spicules of: A. Actinopyga mauntiana; B. Actinopyga echinites; C. Holothuria marmorata; D. Holo-thuria atra; E. Holothuria moebi; F. Holothuria leucospilota; G. Holothuria cinerascens; H. Stichopus variegatus I. Stichopus chloronotus; J. Holothuria scabra; K. Thelenota ananas; L. Microthele nobilis, 710 D. B. JAMES reported the absence of Holothuria scabra which is commercially the most important species on the south-east coast of India. Because of the more centres for beche-de-mer along the Palk Bay and also due to the greater landing of holothurians the Palk Bay appears to be richer than the Gulf of Mannar in regard to holothurians. Holothuria scabra, H. spinifera, H. atra and Stichopus variegatus are the four species of com-mercial importance along the south-east coast of India. Of these only Holothuria scabra and to a lesser extent H. spinifera are used at present. Holothuria scabra grows to 350 mm in length and weighs over 500 gm in the fresh condition. The collection of holothurians starts in February and lasts till October. The peak season is from April to August. The collection is stopped with the onset of the north-east monsoon because of the turbulent sea which results in poor visibiUty for the divers. It is also seen that during the rainy season it is difficult to dry the holothurians and most of it is smoke-dried. The finished product is highly hygroscopic and during the rainy days it becomes soft and is often attacked by fungus thereby losing the commercial value. These have to be again boiled and smoke-dried to make them marketable a piocess which involves additional expenditure. Tirupalakudi on the Palk Bay is the most important centre for beche-de-mer where ten boats are engaged in collecting holothurians. In each boat ten people go for collecting chanks and holothurians. In the peak season about 30,000 holothurians are collected daily at this centre. At Karangadu about 100 people are engaged in this industry and daily 20,000 holothurians are collected during the peak season. At Pamban the fishery extends barely for over a month from March to April and at Rameswaram it is fished for four months from May to August. At Manda-pam the fishery is supported to a large extent by the holothurians collected by trawls. The season starts in April and lasts till August. Fresh specimens are sold at the rate of 4 to 6 paise depending on the size. On processing they become half in size and the weight is reduced to one-seventh. Holothuria spinifera which is collected along with H. scabra is also used for this purpose. This species grows to a large size like the previous one and the product prepared out of this is said to be of superior quality. It is difficult to collect this species in large numbers to cure them separately though it will fetch good price. Holothuria atra is exceedingly abundant and grows to a size of 300 mm. The body wall is thin and shrinks greatly during curing and the cured product becomes very small. This may be the reason why it is not cured in India at present though it is processed in other countries. The fourth species of commercial importance is Stichopus variegatus which grows to a large size of 300-400 mm. in length. The body wall is soft and dissolves into gelatinous mass soon after death hence it is not very suitable for this purpose. The average catch of H. scabra per boat per day at Mandapam during the period April to August, 1968 is shown in Table III. TABLE III Average catch per day per boat of Holothuria scabra by trawl nets landed at Mandapam during the period April-August, 1968 Month Average No. of No. of days of No. of boats Average catch (kg) boats per day observation observed in the month per boat per day April May June July August Source: Survey data of C.M,F,R.I. (unpublished). 31 35 52 53 51 4 5 10 12 14 26 34 61 78 89 3-5 2-7 2-6 2-4 3-2 II n James p^j^jj.^ ^ •manas; B - i it.-.'oihuii'a ithtniii S'pmifera, THE Beche-de-Mer RESOURCES OF INDIA 711 The Andaman group of Islands are the most important from the exploitation point of view because of the occurrence of large species of holothurians best suited for beche-de-mer. Holothuria marmorata, Actinopyga mauritiana and A. echinites are the commercially important species at Andamans and these are not found in the coastal waters of India. It is interesting to note in this connection that the species Holothuria scabra which is chiefly used in the Madras State does not occur in appreciable numbers tither at Andamans or Laccadives. India can capture better overseas market by processing different species of quality holothurians. The Laccadive Islands are also very important from the exploitation point of view. Perhaps the best suited and most valued holothurian, Thelenota ananas occurs in these islands. It has a very thick body wall and grows to a very large size of 600 mm. Next in importance mention may be made of Actinopyga echinites, A. mauritiana, Holothuria marmorata and Microthele nobilis all of which grow to a large size and ate found in the lagoons of the coral reefs. Homell (op. cit.) has reported the processing of small quantities of holothurians at Kilton Island (Laccadive Archi-pelago). There appears to be no industry in the Laccadives today. The intensification of mechanised fishing in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay where a good fishing already exists will improve the landings considerably. At Andamans and Laccadives the holothurians can be collected by divers along with shells like Trochus niloticus Linnaeus, Turbo marmoratus Linnaeus and Cypraecassis rufa (Linnaeus). The introduction of the larger and the commercially important species from the Laccadives and the Andamans in the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Bay will go a long way to step up production of beche-de-mer in this coimtry. If arti-ficial breeding of the important species is investigated and the production and development of the fishery is conducted in a scientific and systematic manner, it will give a further boost to the present-day industry. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am grateful to Dr. S. Jones, Director, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute for the interest evinced in the present investigation and the kind encouragement given to me. REFERENCES CHAM, S. T. 1964. The Indian ftecAe-efe-wer industry. Indian Seafoods, \ {A): 11-13. CLARK, H . L. 1921. The echinoderm fauna of Torres Strait, its composition and its origin. Pap. Tortugas. Lab., 10: 1-223. HORNELL, J. 1917. The Indian beehe'de-mer industry, its history and recent revival. Madras Fish. Bull., 11(4): 119-150. KRISHNAMURTHI, B, 1957. Fishery resources of the Rameswaram Island. Indian J. Fish., 4(2): 229-253. MktADEVAN, S. AND K. NAOAPPAN NAYAR 1967. Underwater ecological observations in the Gulf of Mannar off Tuticorin. VII. General topography and ecology of rocky bottom. / . Mar. biol. Ass. India, 9 (1): I47_i63. PANNING, A, 1944. Die Trepangflscherei. Mitt. hamb. zool. Mus. Inst., 49: l-l^. 

The Becach-de-Mer resources of India

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The Becach-de-Mer resources of India

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