Maldives opens licence window for sea cucumber exporters ahead of new CITES rules

The Ministry of Fisheries, Agriculture and Ocean Resources has opened a short window for sea cucumber exporters to apply for a processing licence. The move affects traders in kachalha, known internationally as amberfish (Thelenota anax), after the species was added to a global list of species whose trade is restricted.

The ministry said in a circular dated August 11 that exporters who have not yet obtained a processing license must apply before August 20. Applications must go through the ministry's Keyolhu-mv online portal.

Why the rules are changing

Kachalha is a large sea cucumber harvested in Maldivian waters. The species was added to Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known as CITES, at the convention's 19th Conference of the Parties in 2022. The ministry said the listing followed evidence that the species' population was declining.

CITES member countries agreed in 2022 to list all three species in the Thelenota genus, including kachalha, under Appendix II. The listing took effect internationally in May 2024, according to Australian government fisheries documents on the decision.

Appendix II species can still be exported. But each shipment now needs a permit from the exporting country's CITES Management Authority. That permit can only be issued once the country's CITES Scientific Authority completes what is called a Non-Detriment Finding. This is a scientific assessment confirming that the volume being harvested and exported will not damage the wild population and can be sustained over time.

Quota now set

The ministry said the Maldives Marine Research Institute, the country's CITES Scientific Authority, has completed the Non-Detriment Finding for kachalha. The institute has also set the volume of the species that can be exported.

The ministry said it is now working on a formula to divide this export quota among exporters who hold its processing licence. That formula will be based on how much each exporter has shipped over the past three years.

Exporters who have not yet obtained the processing licence risk being left out of that quota allocation unless they apply by the August 20 deadline. The ministry asked exporters with questions to call 3322625.

Background

The Maldives is a party to CITES, the international treaty that regulates trade in species threatened by overexploitation. Sea cucumbers are harvested in the Maldives mainly for export to Asian markets, where they are used in food and traditional medicine. Conservation groups have raised concerns in recent years about declining sea cucumber populations across the Indo-Pacific region due to high demand.