SAN DIEGO -- Nearly 350 pounds of sea cucumbers -- an Asian culinary delicacy -- were seized from a father and son who tried to smuggle the marine animals through the San Ysidro port of entry, U.S. officials said Monday.

CBP officers found the undeclared sea cucumbers during an inspection of a Chrysler Voyager carrying two Mexican citizens and two Chinese citizens around 1:30 p.m. Sunday, said Jackie Dizdul of the San Diego office of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The sea cucumbers were hidden in the luggage of the two Chinese citizens, a 51-year-old man and his 24-year-old son, she said.

The father and son, whose names were not released, were fined $15,264 and their U.S. visas were canceled, according to Dizdul.

"Anytime you bring in food into the United States, you need to declare it when you are coming across the border," Dizdul said. "On top of that, over 300 pounds is not a personal use of this product. Once you get into the commercial importation of food items, there are lots of agency regulations you have to go through to get into the United States, and it does not include in the back of your vehicle."

The sea cucumber, a marine animal that lives on the sea floor, is considered a culinary delicacy in a number of Asian cultures and sells for about $45 a pound. The seized sea cucumbers were turned over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Dizdul said.