China's hunger for sea cucumbers exploits Sierra Leone's poverty

Humble sea cucumber or point of contention? In Sierra Leone, fishermen claim Chinese traders are exploiting this overlooked natural resource without bringing any economic benefit to locals.

Sierra Leone’s island fishermen lament that Chinese traders have ruthlessly exploited one of the few natural resources they have left: sea cucumbers.

As evening falls over Sierra Leone’s Banana Island archipelago, bats stream from their beachside roosts to circle in their thousands over the jungle village of Dublin. Below them a struggle is playing out over an unexpected commodity – the lowly sea cucumber, a fleshy, sausage-shaped creature that scavenges for food on the seabed.