This book is the outcome of a one-year comprehensive study data collection on sharks and rays landings in the state of Perak, Malaysia in 2013. The study was funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) through Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem (BOBLME). 

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This book was published by the Department of Fisheries Malaysia and provide a field guide to  320 species of bony fishes from 45 families, 23 species of  cartilaginous fishes  consisting of 11 species of sharks from 5 families and  12 species of rays from 3 families, 5 species (1 family) of crab, 14 species (2 families) of shrimp,  3 species (1 families) of lobster, 1 species (1 family) of flathead lobster and 3 species of squids. Most species are inhabiting continental shelf of Malaysia which less than 200 meter depth.

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Sea cucumber species respond to challenging environmental conditions differently thus, to culture them in artificial environment requires a better understanding of their environmental needs. Two species of sea cucumber Stichopus japonicus and Holothuria leucospilota in Teluk Kamang Port Dickson (PD) (2° 27’ 46.61″N 101° 50’ 42.98″E), Malaysia, were investigated to determine their biodiversity. H. leucospilota was separately investigated to establish its abundance in three (3) separate periods of the year- March, July and November. Global Positioning System (GPS) and Yellow Springs Instruments (YSI) were used to measure the physical parameters. Stichopus japonicus and Holothuria leucospilota were found in temperature ranges of 31 to 32°C and 30 to 31°C, respectively. Salinity was 30.00 to 31.00 part per thousand (ppt) for S. japonicus and 30.00 to 31.00 ppt for H. leucospilota. The pH ranged from 7.80 to 8.40 and 8.00 to 8.60 for S. japonicus and H. leucospilota respectively. H. leucospilota species were more abundant in March than in July, and more in July than in November. Amplification of their genomic DNA using the 16S primer, showed H. leucospilota to be approximately 550 bp and S. japonicus 600 bp in size. The sequenced PCR products analyzed using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) Version 2.01G identified Holothuria leucospilota as another species in Malaysia. These findings provide an insight into Holothurians environment needs and established a nucleotide sequence for H. leucospilota in nucleotide database for future use

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This study aimed at documenting species richness and distribution of sea cucumbers (Phylum Echinodermata: Class Holothuroidea) in Malaysia. Sea cucumber collections were conducted from August 2004 until November 2011 from several study sites in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah. A total of fifty two morphospecies of sea cucumbers from four orders comprising of 12 genera were documented. Thirty eight species were recorded for Sabah, followed by 24 species for Peninsular Malaysia, and 10 species were recorded in both regions. However, nine species required further taxonomic works for their identification. Of the 15 Actinopyga species recorded, 14 species were from Sabah and one species was from Peninsular Malaysia. The order Aspidochirotida in general, and genus Holothuria in particular were the dominant taxa. Holothuria (Mertensiothuria) leucospilota (Brandt, 1835) is the dominant species in Malaysia as it was observed and documented at all collection sites. Future studies on the species richness of sea cucumbers are required in Sarawak marine waters and the molecular phylogeny of the sea cucumbers in order to obtain a better understanding of the evolutionary relationships between the sea cucumbers of Malaysia

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This study examined the sea cucumber industry in the Philippines through the value chain lens. The intent was to identify effective pathways for the successful introduction of sandfish culture as livelihood support for coastal communities. Value chain analysis is a high-resolution analytical tool that enables industry examination at a detailed level. Previous industry assessments, from Gamboa et al. 2007 and Labe, 2010 for example, have provided a general picture of the sea cucumber industry in the country. The present study builds on the earlier work and supplies additional details for a better understanding of the industry’s status and problems, especially their implications for the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) funded sandfish project “Culture of sandfish (Holothuria scabra) in AsiaPacific” (FIS/2003/059). Value chain analysis is integral to the ACIAR project’s expanded aim of developing sea ranching and pond culture of sandfish as an alternative livelihood for marginalized people in coastal communities in the Philippines. Effective pathways for marketing the produce from sea ranching and pond culture have to be identified and developed. These pathways should yield the highest possible benefits, especially to small-scale fisher folk. Existing market chains (for wild caught sea cucumber) have to be assessed, and the potential impact of increased supply from sea ranching and pond culture has to be understood. The paper is organized into three sections. The methodology is discussed in the first section while the second section provides the results of the study. A discussion of these results and specific recommendations are presented in the third section.

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