A closed season for conch will come into effect in 2026, Minister of Fisheries, Sabato Caesar, announced on Monday.
He, however, did not give details about when the season would run.
“… I want to say to the fisherfolk of St. Vincent and the Grenadines that we are going to do everything possible as a government to ensure that we maintain a high level of resilience,” Caesar said during the Fisherman’s Day activity in Calliaqua.
“And as usual, I must mention, in the context of production, the importance of conservation,” he further said.
Caesar said that over the coming weeks, his ministry will conclude discussions with its technical staff for a revision of the Fisheries Act.
“And part and parcel of that is going to be the implementation of different rest areas around the country, because as a people, as a generation, we owe a duty of care to the generations to come and it is very important that while we harness the resources available to us, that we do it in a very responsible manner,” Caesar said.
“Next year, 2026, we are going to see the full implementation of a season for conchs in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” the minister further stated.
“Over the last two years, we had consultations throughout the Grenadines, and the consensus is that for 2026 and beyond, that we have a season so that we can further protect our conch stocks.”
In August, Caesar told Parliament that the government had approved a closed season for conch before Hurricane Beryl struck on July 1.
He had said that the ministry had met with technicians who were going to conduct dives that week.
“But if you do a qualitative assessment, from a layman standpoint, if you were proposing a closed season before the marine ecosystem and the habitat was negatively impacted, it just goes to reason that it’s still justified to have the closed season,” Caesar had said.
“… but I have to be technically advised on that if it’s going to be extended — if it’s going to — it’s very rare that there will be any justification to shrink the closed season or not to have the closed season,” he had told Parliament.
The thing is while it is very important to conserve on certain species to ensure continuity and survival we have grown accustomed to Sabato sweet mouth. He us known for making bold statements and nothing happen after.
When you have the fishers in small homemade boats can you speak about fishing industry?