Sea cucumber farmers use of chemicals has led to a large number of fish deaths

Some sea cucumber farmers in northeastern China have been using large amounts of antibiotics, disinfectants and pesticides leading to the deaths of a large number of several species of fish and endangering the conservation of migratory birds in the area, according to a report by the state broadcaster.

CCTV reported that the farmers in Pikou town, Pulandian city of Liaoning, used “a great amount of antibiotics” in their sea cucumber ponds. The water from those ponds was periodically discharged into the Bohai Gulf, causing the death of plenty of fish, the broadcaster said. The water in the gulf has been documented as being heavily polluted, according to the China Marine Environmental Monitoring Centre.

CCTV images show bodies of fish floating in the gulf close to the Pikou farms. Empty bottles of ceftriaxone were shown at one of them. Ceftriaxone is normally used to treat sexually transmitted diseases and infections of the lungs and urinary tract.

A worker at the farm told a CCTV reporter that penicillin was also put into the sea cucumber pond to kill bacteria. The worker added that the pond’s water would be changed every three or four days, with the waste water being discharged into the gulf without any measures taken to drain out the chemicals.

The owner of a different a sea cucumber farm in Pikou told CCTV that he put sodium hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide, two disinfectants, into the pond to clean the excrement from the sea cucumber. The emission of water containing those two disinfectants can kill sea plankton, according to the CCTV report.

Sea cucumber is believed to have many health benefits, including improving kidney function and boosting male sexual performance, in traditional Chinese medicine.