The Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries is reminding all fisherfolk, traders, and the public at large that the Conch Close Season is still in effect and any breaches of the Close Season Order will be severely penalised in accordance with the Fisheries Act 2018.

By way of Ministerial Order, the Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries had declared a Close Season for queen conch (Genus Strombus) for the period March 1, 2019 to January 31, 2020, during which it “shall be illegal for any person to catch queen conch and/or harvest any conch products (that is, conch shell and conch opercula)”.

All conch meat and conch opercula in the possession of any person after March 21, 2019 which have not been inspected and verified by the Fisheries Division (now The National Fisheries Authority) via a Certificate of Conch Products in storage “shall be seized and the person in possession thereof shall be liable to prosecution and a fine or imprisonment in default of payment of such fine”, the ministry warned in a press statement.

“Any person found in possession of conch meat and/or conch opercula for commercial purposes including, but not limited to: fishers, vendors, middlemen, wholesalers, cold storage facility operators, stores operators at hotels and restaurants, cook shop operators, all operators of eating establishments and jewellery establishments and any other establishment in possession of conch opercula for commercial purposes should have declared this effective March 28, 2019,” the ministry said.

“In light of recent reports of illegal conch fishing, the ministry is sending a very firm, unequivocal appeal and warning to all those involved to desist from breaching the regulations and to help to safeguard the livelihood of thousands of Jamaicans. Failure to cooperate and abide by the law will result in the imposition of the heaviest possible sanctions under the law,” the statement said.