Endangerness of sea cucumbers

Abstract

Trpovi su morski organizmi koji su vrlo značajni za ekosustave morskih dna koja nastanjuju i prvenstveno iz tog razloga trend porasta stope izlova trpova predstavlja problem. Trpovi, na staništima koje naseljavaju, vrše bioturbaciju, pročišćavaju sediment, recikliraju nutrijente i različito, ovisno o vrsti, utječu na kemiju okolne vode. Isto tako sudjeluju u kompleksnim simbiontskim odnosima s mnogim organizmima. Trpovi se tradicionalno koriste u prehrambene svrhe na području Indo – pacifičkih zemalja koje su najveći potražitelji na tržištu. Budući da su se zalihe trpova u tim područjima ekstremno smanjile uslijed prelova, trenutno postoji intenzivacija izlova u ostalim dijelovima svijeta. U području Sredozemnog mora trpovi se sakupljaju uglavnom radi izvoza na azijsko tržište, a predvodnik je Turska. U Hrvatskoj, odnosno u Jadranskom moru također postoji značajan izlov trpova, a problem leži u gotovo nepostojanoj provedbi zakonskih regulacija što se tiče zaštite tih organizama.Sea cucumbers are marine organisms that play a very important role in marine ecosystems. The mentioned fact is the primary reason why the increasing world catch rate of sea cucumbers is a problem. Sea cucumbers in their habitats significantly participate in bioturbation, sediment purification, nutrients recycling and affect the chemistry of the surrounding water. They also cooperate in complex symbiotic relationships with many organisms. Sea cucumbers are traditionally used for nutritional purposes in the Indo-Pacific countries, which are their biggest consumers. Since the sea cucumber stocks are greatly reduced in those regions as a result of overexploitation, there is an intensification of catch rate in other parts of the world. In the Mediterranean Sea, these organism are collected mainly for the purpose of exportation to the Asian market, and Turkey is the leader. In Croatia and Adriatic Sea, significant catch rate is also present and the problem lies in the non-existence of proven legal regulations pertaining to the protection of these organisms