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"The Last of the Sea Women" is a documentary that explores the lives of haenyeos, elderly women in South Korea who collect seafood from the sea floor and reefs. These women, mostly in their 70s and 80s, free-dive to depths of 60 or 70 feet to harvest various types of seafood. The film showcases the beauty and charm of the haenyeos' work, as well as the challenges they face, such as accumulating trash and a declining harvest. The documentary also touches on the political issue of the Japanese planning to release radioactive water into the oceans, which threatens the haenyeos' livelihood. Despite these challenges, the film ends on an upbeat note, highlighting the efforts of younger women who are embracing and preserving the haenyeo tradition. [Extracted from the article]

This document, titled "Echinoderms," provides information about echinoderms, a group of animals that live on the ocean floor. Examples of echinoderms include sea stars, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers. The document explains how echinoderms move using tube feet and describes their habitats, such as tide pools. It also includes activities and vocabulary related to echinoderms. [Extracted from the article]

The article offers information on a sea cucumber that helps to filter organic matter on the ocean floor has been caught last year in 2017 in the Gulf of Mexico.

The article reports on the decline in the populations of sea cucumber species, Isoctichopus badionotus and Holothuria floridana in the Yucatán Peninsula, due to overfishing driven by high demand in Asia, and mentions that sea cucumbers are eaten as delicacy.

The article discusses a New York State law banning the possession, sale, and distribution of shark fins, which are a delicacy valued in Chinese culture. Topics include the use of sea cucumber as a substitute for shark fin, the reactions of New York City Asian restaurants and food stores to the law, and the use of bird's nest soup as a replacement for shark fin soup.

The article offers information on several unusual aphrodisiacs including cobra blood, balut, a fertilised duck egg, and sea cucumbers.

The article reports on the conflict among fishing communities in Mexico over sea cucumber fishing that is in demand in China which has led to the depletion of sea cucumber population, death or injuries of fishermen, and environmental mess.

This section offers news briefs in East Asia. Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg has decided to withdraw its involvement with the Beijing Summer Olympic Games to protest China's indifference to the Darfur crisis in Africa. Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian has asked lawmakers to pass the Aboriginal Autonomous Regions Act. The Consumer's Foundation has announced that counterfeit sea cucumber made of konjacjelly is being marketed in marketplaces.

Discusses the lucrative sea cucumbers on Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, that threatens the theory of evolution by Charles Darwin. Description of sea cucumbers; Information on poverty in Ecuador; Indepth look at the endangering of giant tortoises by fishermen fleeing poverty in Ecuador.