Mohammed Koya Sea Cucumber Conservation Reserve is a marine protected area located off the coast of the Indian union territory of Lakshadweep, approximately 50 km (31 mi) northwest of the island of Bitra.

[3] This sharp decrease in supply has created an exorbitant demand for them in the Asian black market, especially for use in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

[4] In recent years, this has increased to the point where criminal organizations such as the Japanese yakuza reportedly make more money from smuggling sea cucumbers into countries such as China and Malaysia than they do from the sale of methamphetamine.

[5] Proposals for the creation of a marine protected area (MPA) in India to combat this trend have existed as early as 2003.

[6] Vulnerable and endangered species, as assessed by the IUCN Red List, are marked with VU and EN.