A national forum to discuss threats facing the island’s parrotfish population, the implications of these threats and possible solutions, has been planned for next Thursday in Ocho Rios.

The forum, which will be held at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort, is a collaborative effort by Sandals Resorts International’s ‘Save the Parrotfish, Save Our Islands’ Campaign, and The Nature Conservancy through the US Agency for International Development-funded Caribbean Marine Biodiversity Programme and its ‘Pass On Parrotfish’ Campaign.

“An event like this is long overdue, and we are happy to partner with The Nature Conservancy to facilitate it,” a news release from the organisers quotes Adam Stewart, deputy chairman of Sandals Resorts International (SRI). “This issue is real and we need to have an open and frank discussion about it and move towards creating sustainable solutions. We’re all affected and we all need to work together to address the issue.”

Director of the Nature Conservancy’s Jamaica Programme, Donna Blake, agreed.

“The concept of this forum is very exciting because we often hear different voices across the sector speaking about parrotfish, but before now there has been no opportunity to get so many of the stakeholders in the room at the same time to air the concerns. We aim to come to some kind of consensus about the way forward for parrotfish management,” Blake is quoted as saying.

Local stakeholders in the fisheries and marine sector, including fisherfolk from across the island, researchers, representatives from environmental groups, non-governmental organisations and private and public organisations are expected to participate in the forum.

Among the issues to be discussed are the harvesting, sale, and consumption of juvenile parrotfish and the implications these factors have on coral reefs, food security, and sustainable livelihoods.

Among the speakers will be Dalelan Anderson, manager of the White River Special Fishery Conservation Area and lead researcher on the Parrotfish Research Project, an initiative facilitated by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between The University of the West Indies and SRI. This research aims to gather convincing data to support official calls for the introduction of parrotfish management systems.

Preliminary findings are showing that Jamaican parrotfish measure smaller in size than the expected mature fish size, supporting concerns that the parrotfish being caught, sold and consumed may be young fish which have not been allowed to mature.

Other speakers include Dr Dayne Buddo, marine biologist and CEO of the Alligator Head Foundation who has worked extensively on fisheries management and the issue of parrotfish conservation; and Dr Mark Tupper, fisheries specialist who has carried out research on the length at maturity of commercially important Caribbean reef species.

#PassOnParrotfish is a collaborative campaign in which The Nature Conservancy and local partners in the Caribbean aim to raise awareness about the need to protect parrotfish across the region. Using social media as its main platform, along with other outreach tools, the campaign encourages fishers, restaurants and consumers not to catch, sell or eat parrotfish because of the important role they play in maintaining coral reef health.

The campaign is part of the Caribbean Marine Biodiversity Programme, a five-year project (2014-2019) which aims to reduce threats to biodiversity in priority areas in the Caribbean, to achieve sustained biodiversity conservation, maintain and restore critical ecosystems and realise tangible improvements in human and community well-being.

SRI’s Save the Parrotfish, Save Our Islands campaign is driven by similar objectives and holds the Parrotfish Research Project as its centrepiece. The campaign has also seen extensive public education efforts, underpinned by social media activism. The Jamaica Observer, The Sandals Foundation and Rainforest Seafoods Limited have also pledged their support for the movement.

Through an MOU, The Nature Conservancy and SRI have committed to working together to garner support for the implementation of parrotfish management regulations.

The Parrotfish Forum is the first major collaborative effort by both parties, with plans in place for further collaboration. The outcomes of this forum will inform a strategy document which is to be prepared and presented to the Government and other stakeholders for action.