Taking care of sea cucumbers: Artisanal aquaculture in the Blue Economy

Abstract

Farming sea cucumbers for export to China is an emerging form of artisanal aquaculture on the Swahili coast in Tanzania. The government's Blue Economy development paradigm encourages this approach, promising a ‘triple win’ of increased income in fishing communities, marine conservation and economic growth. Sea cucumber farming is thus discursively framed in terms of caring for both humans and the environment. But how do such ideals of care translate into practice? What are the limitations of caring for the political ecology of the blue economy? This article investigates sea cucumber farming as a practice of care and domestication in amphibious Swahili ocean worlds. It argues that contrary to the rhetoric of the Blue Economy, farming sea cucumbers has yet to improve local livelihoods, while it risks the very lives of these ocean creatures. The article shows the importance of paying closer attention to human engagements with various ocean creatures to appreciate the economic and ecological impact of human-ocean relationships in the global context of blue capitalism.