The NGO Traffic said it had tracked advertisements and listings of several threatened and internationally regulated species, including those protected under Singapore and Malaysia laws, over a 20-day period in 2020.
“Between June 17 and July 6 in 2020, 33 sites from both countries had numerous listings offering at least 5,540kg of sea cucumber and fish maw products,” it said in a report, adding that the sites monitored were Carousell, Shopee, Lazada, Song Fish Dealer and Natural Brand.
According to the Straits Times, the NGO’s report said the trade was still active on several sites as of Jan 14 and that it included species that were not offered in 2020.
Southeast Asia director for Traffic, Kanitha Krishnasamy, said that although the online trade of sea cucumber and fish maw was high, the actual volume of trade was even much higher than what was recorded during the assessment period.
“We know this not just because these products are widely available in outlets, but some online sellers also claimed they were able to supply large amounts on a monthly basis,” she said.
Based on the report, researchers were able to identify at least 20 species of sea cucumber put up for sale online and of these, six were listed as endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
Three of the 20 are also currently listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Meanwhile, of the 18 identified taxonomic groups of fish that the fish maw came from, many species of sturgeons are critically endangered too.
Traffic called for countries to introduce a traceability system to verify that only legal and sustainable products are sold online or in the open market.
It also recommended that DNA analysis of the products being sold online should be carried out, so that the species being traded can be better identified.
“This will help the authorities to zero in on the proportion of species that are threatened, endangered or prohibited from trade,” it said.