From TC Weekly News

THE TCI could be at risk of losing one of its most cherished national foods due to overfishing.

The shortage of conch has reignited calls for a total ban on its export, and local observers say the only way of saving the delicacy is to keep it for tourists and local consumption.

What are your thoughts?

Policing needed

DECR has the figures on how long we need to close conch fishing season.

Save the conch now so we can enjoy it again years down the road.
Of course, we need to police the conch fishing areas. That is, perhaps, the real issue.

Exotic meat

The TCI’s brand on the international market says to consumers that that type of conch is ‘exotic’ therein is the best money maker.
Therefore, local and touristic consumption can benefit from imports from a nearby abundant source like the Bahamas.

This import programme for local consumption will free up the TCI’s unique brand for international consumption and the spread of the aura of eating something special from an exotic destination.

Emotional reaction

The initiative to destroy the conch farm by the interim government and the then officials at the DECR was a bad move.

This type of research, farming and education was a chance for the TCI to combat the issue of a decline in conch stocks.

Saving the conch farm, a massive project in conservation, was always a good idea.

This knee-jerk reaction to the issue is emotional. We need further independent scientific research.

It is suggested that there are many factors and pressures contributing to the problem both anthropogenic and natural.

Human activity can be studied in this area but not give final results.
Weather systems have a lot to do with population decline; furthermore, we do not know the extent of fishing pressure from the Dominican Republic and Haiti on the conch population.

Reducing exports from the TCI is only addressing one part of the problem, punishing TC Islanders while the DR and Haiti continue looting.

More independent research is needed before more restrictions are levied on our fishermen

Wild and free

I think that’s a good idea. There ought to be a conch sanctuary established where conch is grown commercially – some of the conch should also be released into the wild after they have matured. 
We need to be progressive and proactive in our approach to the natural resources in this country.

Let’s not wait until a crisis occurs – preventative maintenance is paramount. 

Three steps

It would seem that there are three logical steps to be taken to help alleviate the current shortage of conch in the Turks and Caicos Islands:
-Immediately stop the commercial export of conch.All this will take is the stroke of a pen, and the interests of current conch exporters must be made subordinate to the health of the industry for domestic purposes.Allow a short delay in implementation to allow current exporters time to sell off existing inventories.

-Immediately impose a closed season for conch, much as is now in place for lobster.During this closed period, the harvesting, sale or possession of conch will be prohibited, and this will provide a period of restoration for the local conch stocks.

-Increase the effectiveness of maritime patrols to drastically reduce the extent of illegal fishing by foreign boats.While this may very well be the most difficult change to implement, I suspect that illegal foreign fishing is the major cause of the damage being done to our conch levels.Should be pretty straightforward and easy to implement, even for a Government with a track record of accomplishing very little!

Meaningless rants

We have a political class in both parties who are ignorant of science and modern reasoning – this is the outcome, worse will come.

This crisis has been in front of them for at least ten years. They do not listen to their civil servants, business leaders, and also very significantly the Belonger elite who shun politics.

They reject the idea that their job is to lead and to educate the electorate in managing the environment, the economy and other governmental responsibilities.

They continue their meaningless rants.

Un-scientific debate

It is not possible for any native born and TCI cultured person to evince or countenance a day when, the conch, one of the Turks and Caicos Islands’ most precious natural resources would ever be at risk to the point of possible extinction.

The conch has been around for thousands of years and unscientific findings about this staple source of food and the TCI’s pride could be overblown and the debate overtaken by hyperbole.

For the last 40 years, the TCI Government has implemented a number of conservation measures designed to enhance the long-term supply of conch and the other critical resource, the lobster.

It is safe to say that there is no TCI without conch.

Local chefs and mothers supply their special meals with the conch. It is a delicate resource and to TC Islanders the conch is really a sacred cow.

Banning the sale and export of conch is an overreaction and will only serve to destroy the industry.

This kind of extremism is not helpful and will serve to destabilise the industry, harm the tourism sector and remove a vital part of TCI’s cuisine.

The reaction from the local environmentalists who seek to dominate the debate is not valid and un-scientific.

Leadership in this area should be taken from the DECR being the regulator of this industry.

It will be important to see what they have to say, what research they’ve conducted and what their findings are.

Let the ministry and minister responsible for natural resources take the lead and set the right policy perspective on this issue.

Calls to ban the consumption and use of conch should not be taken easily or lightly.

For more on this story go to; https://tcweeklynews.com/conch-crisis-p10273-144.htm