Conservation of aspidochirotid holothurians in the littoral waters of Kenya

Aspidochirotid sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) are heavily fished in the littoral waters of Kenya, and stocks have plummeted. In order to conserve and manage these natural resources, appropriate conservation and management plans must to be developed. This can only occur if high quality research on different levels is done. This paper discusses five layers of understanding that should be achieved before holothurian conservation in East Africa can be effective.