by Nick Delgado

Guam - A tip to the Department of agriculture led conservation officers to a home in Mangilao where they made a major balati bust - thousands of sea cucumbers claimed to be illegally harvested were confiscated.

Conservation Officer Roland Delfin told KUAM News, "Officers were sent to a house in the Mangilao area and we found out there were thousands of pieces of balati. The final count was 11,092 pieces that were recovered at this residence. Four individuals are in custody pending further investigation as to how they came about harvesting the sea cucumber. We also want to remind folks that when harvesting sea cucumbers, it's one hundred pieces per person, per day."

Based on interviews with the suspects, the balati was taken from the East Agana area within a several-hour timeframe. Delfin says the sea cucumbers were being gathered to eat at a social gathering, which he said he could not disclose.

The confiscated cucumbers will now be turned over to the University of Guam for their use in research projects.