In the last months, sea cucumbers are being caught illegally from Ria Formosa and another areas of Algarve' coast (South Portugal). The Portuguese law in Portaria nº 1228/2010 (6th December; Diario da República, 1ª serie, Nº 235, pp5471), established that only the species registered in Annex I are allowed to be caught. In this Annex I, only 3 sea cucumber species are included: Mesothuria intestinalis and Parastichopus regalis, both species inhabiting deep waters, and Holothur