PORTLAND, Jamaica — Councillor/Candidate for the Fellowship Division in East Portland, Colin Bell, wants a two-year ban on the harvesting of crayfish and any other wildlife living in the Rio Grande River so their numbers can be replenished.

Bell said, particularly for crayfish, once the numbers are up, people would be set up with ponds along the Rio Grande valley to farm and harvest the crustacean while the population continues to grow in the wild.

The native of the Rio Grande valley has estimated that the crayfish population has been depleted by about 80 per cent. It now costs between $1,500 and $2,000 per pound for crayfish, which causing people to over harvest wildlife, whose population is dwindling in order to rake in big cash, Bell said.

One of the most efficient but damaging ways to catch crayfish is by contaminating the water with chlorine. Bell explained that when people add chlorine to the water it becomes toxic for the crayfish causing them to float to the water’s surface where they are easily caught.

He said that crayfish heavy with eggs are also removed from the river using this method wreaking havoc on the population. “So they are catching the crayfish that would keep the population going… so after two years when the river replenishes itself, and we have it in abundance we can start searching for the mother crayfish.”

He said those crayfish would be used to set up hatcheries where people can buy young crayfish to raise for harvesting.

Bell has written to the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) Director for Environmental Management and Conservation, Anthony McKenzie, asking for the ban on harvesting all wildlife in particular crayfish in the Rio Grande Valley.

“So I am on a mission to save the crayfish because for me it is also something that our people can gain wealth from. It is a fresh water product so it can be raised; when I was a little boy I used to raise it; but we have to save it before we can raise it,” he said.

Bell argued that the people who would make a living off harvesting crayfish would be employed as wardens to protect them. He said that the ban would make it illegal for anyone to have crayfish in their possession including the wardens.

He pointed out that once the crayfish population is back up the harvesters turn wardens would get assistance to develop their ponds to raise their own crayfish.

 “If one man can sell 1000 pounds of crayfish for $1,500 per pound, that is $1.5 million. We can generate wealth for the people living in the Rio Grande Valley,” he pointed out.

He said that he has spoken to the Maroons in the area who are on-board with the idea of banning harvesting of any wildlife in the river. According to Bell the Maroons are looking for the people responsible for contaminating the water with chlorine.

In the meantime, the NEPA said that they received the letter from Bell; however, the environment protection agency said that the matter does not fall under their jurisdiction.