Sea cucumbers die en masse amid record heat wave

More than 70 percent of sea cucumbers in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, which accounts for half of China's output, has been lost due to high ocean temperatures, wreaking unprecedented havoc on one of the nation's most priced delicacies, according to a report by China Central Television.



According to data from the Ocean and Fisheries Office of Liaoning, 68,000 tons of sea cucumbers, which were being raised on ocean farms that have a surface area of 950,000 mu (633 square kilometers), were spoiled due to the record high temperatures in recent weeks. Economic losses are estimated to exceed 6.8 billion yuan ($1 billion).



"This is the first time we've seen mass deaths of this scale," Guan Yibo, director of the China Fisheries Association told the Global Times on Monday. "The temperatures in Liaoning were the hottest recorded since the 1950s, exceeding 37 degrees."



Rumors started to appear online last week about the scarcity of sea cucumbers and other seafood, leading to speculation about affected businesses. Zoneco, a seafood company listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, published on Thursday a statement declaring that its production of sea cucumbers had not been affected by the heat wave. Zoneco is based in Dalian, the home of about half of China's sea cucumber production.



Guan noted that the heat wave has affected disproportionally smaller fishing operators, who base their seafood farms in shallower waters closer to land. "Farms in shallow water heat up more quickly. Bigger companies have acquired rights to deeper water, so the seafood they raise on the sea floor is kept at lower temperatures," said Guan.



The news drove the shares of Zoneco up by 9.92 percent to 3.99 yuan per share.





