Sea Cucumber Venture Balances Business and

A company called Asili is ranching sea cucumbers on Tanzania's Pemba Island. The venture, working with communities since 2022, aims to restore marine habitats and generate income from a high-value export product, according to co-founder Tim Kluckow.

For generations, coastal waters have supported fishing families. In recent years, many residents say nearshore resources have declined. Sea cucumbers, once abundant, have become scarce. This decline led Asili to ranch sea cucumbers inside locally protected marine areas. The model seeks to return a share of expected profits to communities that give up access to part of their fishing grounds.

Kluckow told Mongabay this followed many hours of community discussion. Talks covered what closing an area would mean, initial incomes, revenues, and how they would be shared. At the center is the idea that if communities help protect habitat and ranching succeeds, conservation can put money into people's pockets.

A Luxury Species and a Local Shortage

Sea cucumbers are among the ocean's most valuable marine products. In East and Southeast Asia, especially China, they are prized as luxury food and believed to have medicinal properties. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has warned heavy global demand has contributed to overexploitation of wild populations.

The species has long held an elite status in Asian markets, Asili co-founder Alexandra Garcin told Mongabay. She traced its history in Chinese cuisine and medicine. It is part of the four sacred products of Chinese cuisine with shark fin, abalone, sea cucumber and bird's nest.

The business depends on that demand. Garcin said the price for freshly harvested sea cucumber can reach $70 to $80 per kilogram at the beach. Direct export to wholesalers could push prices higher. Over time, the company wants to target food markets in Asia and the growing nutraceuticals market.

Jennifer Howard of Conservation International, familiar with Asili's model, says the high value offers income opportunity. She cautions against over dependence on a single commodity. If it becomes the dominant livelihood, communities are exposed to pricing variations and market dynamics.

Previous Mongabay reporting found that between 2012 and 2019, Tanzania accounted for just under 500,000 kilograms of more than 3 million kilograms of dried sea cucumber exported from East Africa to Hong Kong alone.

Ecologically, sea cucumbers are important ecosystem engineers. They recycle nutrients, help oxygenate sediments and support habitat health. Garcin told Mongabay without them, the seabed can become like soil without earthworms. This ecological logic is part of why the project links farming to no take or low take areas. Garcin said for the model to succeed, vast areas need protection.

A Community Business, or a Risky Promise?

In the village of Shamiani, the project uses a cooperative model. According to Asili, about 300 people in a village of roughly 900 adults have signed up. Much work so far, like clearing paths and setting up patrols, has been done by local residents, many of them women and youths.

Sharif Tano Sharif, a young man from Shamiani, said the project has generated considerable optimism. He told Mongabay based on what they are seeing, they think it will bring a lot of benefits and profit. That sentiment was echoed by several other young people interviewed.

Kluckow said the company is trying to avoid privatizing a shared marine resource and leaving most of the community out. He described building a ground up equity based model, continually useful to partner communities.

Under the arrangement, future harvest profits would be split 50% to the community and 50% to the company. Of the community share, half would go to those doing the work. The other half would be set aside for a broader community fund for needs like schooling or water.

Howard said when communities co own decisions, equity, and profit flows, they have a direct stake in keeping ecosystems healthy. This typically increases long term conservation compliance and reduces conflict.

Kluckow said the model was shaped by lessons from work in Madagascar. There, earlier sea cucumber aquaculture benefited some farmers but did little for the wider village. After two years of income, the water, healthcare, and school situations were not better.

Still, the model carries real risks. The first is commercial. The farm is not yet generating revenue, and sea cucumbers take roughly a year to a year and a half to reach marketable size. The hatchery, which produces juveniles, is central. Garcin said without it, none of this is possible.

The second is social and political. The company's agreement with the community is still evolving. Kluckow acknowledged the model depends heavily on long term trust.