Dried sea cucumbers are considered a highly prized delicacy in Asian cuisine and traditional Chinese medicine. The high demand has caused the severe depletion of sea cucumber stocks in many areas of Vietnam. Phu Quoc is the largest Vietnamese island and a biodiversity hotspot, which supports many different important marine fisheries.

The project aims to effectively monitor and evaluate the status of four sea cucumber species in the shallow waters of Phu Quoc and their current exploitation levels to identify the protection needs of each species, to provide information for future management plans and to increase community environmental awareness.