Echinoderms constitute a phylum of exclusively marine invertebrates, the Echinodermata, organized into five living classes: the Asteroidea or starfish, Ophiuroidea or brittle stars, Echinoidea or sea urchins, Crinoidea or feather stars, and Holothuroidea or sea cucumbers. Several members are harvested as food, notably the sea urchin species Loxechinus albus and Paracentrotus lividus, prized for their rich gonads, and various sea cucumbers valued in Asian cuisines for texture and perceived health properties. Their biology presents distinctive safety considerations: as sedentary filter feeders and grazers they can accumulate cadmium and other heavy metals, and their delicate edible tissues demand rapid chilling and sanitary handling after harvest. Management regimes increasingly regulate catches to protect these slow-growing animals from overexploitation.