At the request of industry, the opening of the Newfoundland and Labrador sea cucumber fishery was delayed this summer due to marketing concerns surrounding the 25 per cent Chinese tariff on Canadian seafood.
“This year we delayed the fishery until we could get new market information. I think we’ll be going to the table here shortly and figure out something, a fair price. It’s not going to be a banner year, but the way things have gone on the south coast this year, I think sea cucumber is going to be very important. We’ve got to try and figure it out somehow,” said Jamie Baker, FFAW 3Ps representative.
3Ps is home to the one commercial sea cucumber fishery in N.L. The 59 commercial licence holders have an annual quota of 6,959 tonnes, under the 2023–27 management plan. Each harvester is allowed to catch up to 260,000 pounds, using one sea cucumber drag. Fishing is allowed in both the Western and Eastern parts of 3Ps area; 19 licence holders can fish in the Western bed, and 40 can fish in the Eastern bed, said Meaghan Philpott, DFO communications.
“There is also an emerging sea cucumber fishery in NAFO Division 3LNO. Emerging fisheries focus on developing new or underutilized species to see if they can be harvested in a sustainable way that has commercial potential,” said Philpott.
“At the request of harvesters and by working with the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) created a process to explore whether sea cucumber fishing in 3LNO could work long-term. To take part in the emerging fishery, harvesters must do scientific surveys each year and send their data to DFO. Once the science portion is completed, harvesters may commercially sell a set amount (130,000 pounds) of sea cucumbers. If sufficient scientific data shows that the sea cucumber population is healthy and commercially viable, it could become a full commercial fishery,” said Philpott.
There are 10 licence holders in the 3LNO emerging sea cucumber fishery.
In 2024, 6,173 mt of sea cucumber were landed in N.L., with a landed, value of $9,104,289. In 2023, 5,964 mt were landed, valued at $9,729,422 and in 2022, 6,084 mt were landed, valued at $8,007,133.
Baker said the sea cucumber is a positive fishery for 3Ps, an important one.
“The problem we’ve got this year, the Chinese tariffs are there so I would guess most if not all our cucumbers go to China. The 25 per cent tariff puts downward pressure on some of the market prices people are doing. Interesting enough, the latest reports we have from the province says there’s not been a real big slow down in imports. China is still importing at the same level,” said Baker.
“The other challenge, over the last number of years the Chinese have sort of figured out how to farm cucumber, but what we’re seeing there is a lot of the people who are engaged in that are not necessarily having much success with it,” added Baker.
With the crab fishery finished for the year, Baker said he expects 3Ps fishers will start harvesting whelk or sea cucumbers. The 3Ps sea cucumber season closes Dec. 31. The 3Ps whelk season ends Oct. 31.
“There is a lot of hope the new federal government might be able to work on that barrier, work on the Chinese tariff. It affects a lot of stuff coming out of Atlantic Canada. We thought we might hear something around the G-7 but didn’t so it’s still there,” said Baker, adding although Canada’s attention has been focused on the U.S. tariff situation, hopefully there is a solution going forward.
Sea cucumber is a prized delicacy in Asia and in particular China.
