“There
has to be a far more comprehensive approach. We are looking at fish
sanctuaries, no-fishing zones, regulation for protecting the large fish, gear
regulation, among other things. An outright ban is not the answer as it will
create social and economic problems for the most marginalised — fishermen,”
Dr Andre Kong, Director
of fisheries in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, commenting on the
national forum on Parrotfish management
Jamaicans,
it may be time to start eating another type of Fish, as a Parrotfish Ban is
imminent!!
The
national forum on Parrotfish management met on Thursday April 19 2018 in Ocho
Rios as reported in the article “National
forum to discuss parrotfish issues next week”, published
Friday, April 13, 2018, The
Jamaica Observer.
The national forum on Parrotfish management is a collaborative effort by the following NGO (Non Governmental Organizations):
1. Sandals
Resorts International's 'Save the Parrotfish
2. Save
Our Islands' Campaign
3. The
Nature Conservancy through the US Agency for International Development-funded
Caribbean Marine Biodiversity Programme and its 'Pass On Parrotfish' Campaign
Participants
who attended the event were:
1. Local
stakeholders in the fisheries and marine sector, including fisherfolk from
across the island
2. Researchers
3. Representatives
from environmental groups
4. Non-governmental
organizations
5. Private
and public organizations
Speakers
will include:
1. 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
2. Dr
Mark Tupper, fisheries specialist who has carried out research on the length at
maturity of commercially important Caribbean reef species.
3. Dalelan
Anderson, Manager of the White River Special Fishery Conservation Area and lead
researcher on the Parrotfish Research Project
Among
the issues to be discussed are:
1. The
harvesting, sale, and consumption of juvenile Parrotfish
2. The
implications these factors have on coral reefs, food security, and sustainable livelihoods
So
why are the Parrotfish so important?
Parrotfish and Jamaican
Beaches - Parrotfish produce Sand and maintain our tourism sector
Preliminary
findings are showing that Jamaican Parrotfish measure smaller in size than the
expected mature fish size.
This suggests that Parrotfish being caught, sold and consumed may be young fish which have not been allowed to mature. The Parrotfish Forum plans to produce a strategy document which is to be prepared and presented to the Government and other stakeholders for action.
The
survival of the Parrotfish has implications to the maintenance of the Coral
reef, the main barrier to beach erosion, as they as a group of fish produce
some 800lb of sand to rebuild beaches as explained in my blog
article entitled “How
Parrotfish and Sea Urchins ban saves Coral Reef, Beaches and US$3 billion
Jamaican Tourism”.
In
short if the Parrotfish do not rebound, neither will our Tourism sector!!
SRI's Save the
Parrotfish, Save Our Islands campaign
The
Parrotfish Research Project is initiative facilitated by a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) between The University of the West Indies and SRI that aims
to gather convincing data to support official calls for the introduction of
Parrotfish management systems.
SRI's Save the Parrotfish, Save Our Islands campaign is driven by similar objectives. It has the Parrotfish Research Project as its centerpiece. The campaign has also seen extensive public education efforts, underpinned by social media activism with the support of the following NGO's and Private Sector Interests:
1. The
Jamaica Observer
2. The
Sandals Foundation
3. Rainforest
Seafoods Limited
Rainforest
Seafoods Limited, to their credit, is no longer importing, producing or selling
Parrotfish since 2014 as noted in my blog article “How
$1.25 million Rainforest Seafoods and UWI AHML FAD's will protect Parrotfish,
Coral Reef and Tourism”.
But
aside from not selling Parrotfish, how can regular Jamaicans help the
Parrotfish to bounce back?
Save the Parrotfish -
Alternative needed for Sunday Dinner
#PassOnParrotfish
is a collaborative campaign in which The Nature Conservancy and local partners
in the Caribbean as noted in the article “National
Parrotfish forum is timely”, published Friday, April 13,
2018, The Jamaica
Observer.
The aim is to raise awareness about the need to protect Parrotfish across the region. The campaign is part of the Caribbean Marine Biodiversity Programme, a five-year project (2014-2019).
Through
an MOU, The Nature Conservancy and SRI have committed to working together to
garner support for the implementation of Parrotfish management regulations.
The
aim of this program is to:
1. Reduce
threats to biodiversity in priority areas in the Caribbean
2. Achieve
sustained biodiversity conservation
3. Maintain
and restore critical ecosystems
4. Realize
tangible improvements in human and community well-being
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.
This
stance taken by environmental groups to ban the harvesting, sale and
consumption of Parrotfish is going to affect the lives of fisherfolk who make a
living form this Sunday staple. Already NEPA (National Environment and Planning
Agency) has spoken to fisherfolk about the need for conservation.
Fighting consumer demand, the real driver behind Parrotfish consumption, is going to be hard to satiate, especially as Fishback is not so popular albeit fish stick and fish nuggets may work with children as explained in my MICO Wars blog article entitled “How Andrew Holness made Rainforest Seafood Fish Back a Sunday Menu Staple”.
Still,
the fisher folk do acknowledge that having regulation in place would help the
Parrotfish rebuild in numbers and size:
1. Implementation
of fishing sanctuaries
2. No
fishing zones
3. Regulation
on the types of fishing equiptment
4. Closed
season for Parrotfish
Plus
the plan to ban fishing Parrotfish is a bit absurd, as you'd have to resort to
policing fishermen. Rather the environmental groups are seeking to implement
but management systems that would help in protecting the Parrotfish.
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