Tahiti Marine claims a world-first in breeding two endangered sea cucumber species in captivity. Long regarded as a symbol of wealth and luxury, sea cucumbers are in high demand and increasingly threatened by overharvesting. As sea cucumbers reproduce by external fertilisation, population declines have made it increasingly difficult for them to reproduce in the wild, where fertilisation success depends on high population densities. To overcome this challenge, Tahiti Marine has developed a synthetic breeding environment using large basins that allow spawning to occur under controlled conditions. Ancey recounted reports of injured sea cucumbers recovering from substantial physical damage, prompting further investigation into the compounds present within the animals.