Note from the co-ordinator

Membership of the Special Interest Group on Bêche-de-mer has doubled Inside this issue since the first bulletin, showing not only the interest being taken in holothurians of commercial value and the bêche-de-mer market, but also the relevance of this newsletter. Our job is to act as a clearing-house for ideas, information and enquiries about the bêche-de-mer industry.

This fishery is often only given secondary importance, which explains the relative paucity of resources allocated for research. Increasing scientific interest may be noted, however in a number of countries and information is now available on the reproduction, distribution and abundance of various commercial species. Large gaps nevertheless still exist in the knowledge about recruitment, growth and mortality, which factors are essential to assess yield potential and commence rational management of stocks.

Scientific research on echinoderms is the theme for international meetings that have taken place every three years since 1972, bringing together specialists from various backgrounds. Following the 1987 Conference at Victoria in Canada, the 7th Conference recently took place in Atami, Japan, and was a great success. Echinoderm workshops are held regularly in Europe in the intervening periods. The papers tabled at these meetings are published and can be used to monitor developments in what is known about holothurian biology.

Fisheries management will however require a better understanding of social and economic factors and research programmes should be developed in these areas and conducted in close conjunction with investigations into population biology.

Chantal Conand

Contents

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