| 要旨トップ | 本企画の概要 | | 日本生態学会第73回全国大会 (2026年3月、京都) 講演要旨 ESJ73 Abstract

シンポジウム S21-3 （Presentation in Symposium）

#### Tracing CITES-regulated sea cucumber species in Hong Kong: market dynamics, seizures, and molecular approaches【E】【S】

*Chloe HATTEN（Lingnan University）

Invertebrates represent some of the most traded taxa in the world. Marine invertebrates, such as echinoderms (e.g., sea cucumbers) and cnidarians (e.g., corals) are some of the most highly wild-caught organisms that exist in the legal wildlife trade, highlighting the potential for over-exploitation of global populations. Sea cucumbers are used in traditional medicine and as luxury seafood, whereas corals are traded for ornamental purposes. Hong Kong SAR sits as one of the world’s largest trade hubs for both taxa. Although certain species are regulated under CITES for international trade, Hong Kong sees a vast abundance of domestic trade through largely unregulated markets and multiple seizures every year. Due to this high trade volume, enforcement is limited in its capacity to accurately identify CITES species and thus regulate trade. To address this, we aimed to 1) assess trade of CITES-listed species via market surveys, 2) test current methods to identify species traded in Hong Kong, and 3) develop further investigative and forensic tools to aid enforcement efforts. Here, we present data from some of the first market surveys of sea cucumbers in Hong Kong. We found that CITES-listed teatfish represent the third largest group of sea cucumbers traded in Hong Kong dried seafood markets, however, their prices have declined since listing on CITES. Additionally, CITES data far exceeded seizures of teatfish in terms of quantity (kg), but while CITES quantities have declined, seizure quantities have increased over time. We also found that morphological guides are insufficient to identify species of teatfish but we successfully used molecular analysis to identify H. fuscogilva and H. nobilis as the most common species of teatfish both in seizures and in the market, highlighting potential concern for wild populations. While ongoing, we also present preliminary results of market surveys of precious corals in Hong Kong and the application of the previously published forensic DNA Coral-ID test to confirm species identity. Finally, we introduce our efforts to develop a provenance-determining tool using stable isotope analysis for precious corals. Together, these assessments will improve our understanding of Hong Kong’s role in the global trade of precious corals. Through these two studies, we fill existing gaps in the monitoring of the often-overlooked, yet abundant trade of marine invertebrates, and develop tools to aid enforcement for regulated species.

日本生態学会