BEST practices in the Pacific: Vairao Rori Titi Project

The white sea cucumber "rori titi u'o" (Holothuria fuscogilva) is a species highly prized in Asia for its meat and medicinal properties. Its high commercial value has led to its overexploitation in the Indo-Pacific region. Through the BEST 2.0+ funded project "Vairao Rori Titi", in French Polynesia, the Tahiti Marine Products (TMP) aquaculture company is contributing to the preservation and management of the species for a sustainable exploitation of H. fuscogilva. “Vairao Rori Titi” is undertaking stock surveys and search for juvenile habitats in Vairao lagoon. The local population is being closely involved in the work and in the definition of sites suitable for the species, particularly juveniles. The results of these studies will make it possible to define the technical feasibility of aquaculture, sea ranching and the conditions for sustainable exploitation of the species. It will also be possible to define favourable areas for the reseeding of juvenile sea cucumbers in Polynesian lagoons.