bahamiangoddess
05-05-08, - 02:35 AM
Conch season is being considered
By KRYSTEL ROLLE, Guardian Staff Reporter, krystel@nasguard.com
The government is considering placing conch in a specific season, much like crawfish and Nassau grouper, given the "savage" attacks on Bahamian marine life by poachers, coupled with the high demand for conch.
While it does not appear that The Bahamas is in danger of a conch shortage, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Larry Cartwright acknowledged that it could be possible, in the future, because the government could not measure how much conch was being fished out of Bahamian waters yearly.
His remarks came yesterday afternoon on More 94 FM's talk show, "The Last Word" hosted by Jeffrey Lloyd.
The minister added that a number of young people were getting involved in fishing, making it more difficult to say just how much conch was taken out of the waters each year. He said some fishermen may not specify the amount they bring in during fishing trips.
"You can't keep a record," Cartwright said.
And because of this, he added, the government was considering creating a specific season for when fisherman could legally go out for conch, similar to the policing of the crawfish and Nassau grouper seasons.
The government implemented the fishing season for the Nassau grouper and crawfish to protect against over-fishing and to prevent the demise of the species. Fisherman can only legally fish for crawfish and Nassau grouper during certain times of the year, and offenders face penalties.
"Conch is on the endangered species list, and as a result, we have to sign an agreement with regard to how much conch we can export each year," said Cartwright. "The exporters find it difficult to accept or to understand when we say to them that you can buy 25,000 to 40,000 pounds for the year. They get upset and they ask why. But it is simply because if we sign an agreement and say we are going to export 300,000 of conch a year, we have to then divide that 300,000 pounds among the importers per year.
"And the division is normally based on how much they exported last year. If you are a new exporter, then we start you where we start everyone else."
Cartwright said judging from the amount of conch that is exported every year, it is unlikely that The Bahamas is experiencing a conch shortage. However, he did not specify the amount.
"What I do see is that the size of the conch, and the fishermen are seeing how far they have to go out to get it. It tells me that there are too many people taking conch out of the shallow water, and conch (being taken out) are immature," he continued.
Meanwhile, Cartwright said the Royal Bahamas Defence Force has had problems enforcing the fishing laws.
He said even while the crawfish season is closed, he received information indicating that poachers have been crawfishing recently.
However, he added that once the RBDF receives additional resources, poaching incidents should be significantly reduced.
By KRYSTEL ROLLE, Guardian Staff Reporter, krystel@nasguard.com
The government is considering placing conch in a specific season, much like crawfish and Nassau grouper, given the "savage" attacks on Bahamian marine life by poachers, coupled with the high demand for conch.
While it does not appear that The Bahamas is in danger of a conch shortage, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Larry Cartwright acknowledged that it could be possible, in the future, because the government could not measure how much conch was being fished out of Bahamian waters yearly.
His remarks came yesterday afternoon on More 94 FM's talk show, "The Last Word" hosted by Jeffrey Lloyd.
The minister added that a number of young people were getting involved in fishing, making it more difficult to say just how much conch was taken out of the waters each year. He said some fishermen may not specify the amount they bring in during fishing trips.
"You can't keep a record," Cartwright said.
And because of this, he added, the government was considering creating a specific season for when fisherman could legally go out for conch, similar to the policing of the crawfish and Nassau grouper seasons.
The government implemented the fishing season for the Nassau grouper and crawfish to protect against over-fishing and to prevent the demise of the species. Fisherman can only legally fish for crawfish and Nassau grouper during certain times of the year, and offenders face penalties.
"Conch is on the endangered species list, and as a result, we have to sign an agreement with regard to how much conch we can export each year," said Cartwright. "The exporters find it difficult to accept or to understand when we say to them that you can buy 25,000 to 40,000 pounds for the year. They get upset and they ask why. But it is simply because if we sign an agreement and say we are going to export 300,000 of conch a year, we have to then divide that 300,000 pounds among the importers per year.
"And the division is normally based on how much they exported last year. If you are a new exporter, then we start you where we start everyone else."
Cartwright said judging from the amount of conch that is exported every year, it is unlikely that The Bahamas is experiencing a conch shortage. However, he did not specify the amount.
"What I do see is that the size of the conch, and the fishermen are seeing how far they have to go out to get it. It tells me that there are too many people taking conch out of the shallow water, and conch (being taken out) are immature," he continued.
Meanwhile, Cartwright said the Royal Bahamas Defence Force has had problems enforcing the fishing laws.
He said even while the crawfish season is closed, he received information indicating that poachers have been crawfishing recently.
However, he added that once the RBDF receives additional resources, poaching incidents should be significantly reduced.