Washington man sentenced to jail for overharvesting sea cucumbers

SEATTLE The owner of a Washington seafood company was sentenced to two years in prison for overharvesting sea cucumbers and must pay $1.5 million.

Hoon Namkoong, 62, was also sentenced Friday to three years of post-prison supervision.

He pleaded guilty earlier this year in U.S. District Court in Seattle to under-reporting the number of sea cucumbers he bought from tribal and nontribal fisheries in the Puget Sound by nearly 113,400 kilograms between 2014 and 2016.

His company, Orient Seafood Production, then sold them to seafood buyers in Asia and the U.S.

The illegal harvest amounted to nearly 20 per cent of the total allowed harvest of the sea creatures statewide, said U.S. attorney Annette Hayes, and did serious damage to the Puget Sound.

“This illegal activity damages the health of the Puget Sound ecosystem by endangering the sustainability of the sea cucumber population,” Hayes said. “Illegal harvesting undermines quotas designed to protect the resource and keep the Sound healthy for our children and generations to come.”

Sea cucumbers, which are shaped like cucumbers with small feet and measure up 1.8 metres, are echinoderms, a family that includes starfish and sea urchin.

They are served dried or fresh and often braised with fish, vegetables and traditional Chinese sauces. They are sought to treat various health issues and are increasingly in demand in China and southeast Asian countries.

Harvesting sea cucumbers is permitted in the U.S. and elsewhere, but with limited quantities and only during high season.

Illegal trade is becoming increasingly common and lucrative.