The Becach-de-Mer resources of India

James, D B (1973) The Becach-de-Mer resources of India. In: Proceedings of the symposium on living resources of the seas around India, 1968, Mandapam Camp.

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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 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.

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