Beche-de-mer ban will not be lifted says Ministry of Fisheries

The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources has issued a statement today saying it will not lift the current ban on beche-de-mere fishery.

It made its stance clear following reports of illegal beche-de-mere harvesting in some parts of the country.

An order to ban beche-de-mere harvesting was gazetted and became effective as of May 31, 2019. The ban covers harvesting, possession and selling of all beche-de-mere species.

The decision to ban beche-de-mere was reached because the fishery is on the verge of collapse. This is evident from the data obtained by the Ministry of Fisheries during the recent opening period that more than 80% of the export consignment were under sized.

Based on this data, it was evident that beche-de-mere fishery was harvested unsustainably thus the need for this ban to allow the beche-de-mere population to recover.

For beche-de-mere to recover fully it would need up to 10 years at the most depending on the species and current stocks in the particular area.

The Director of Fisheries encourages the general public to observe this Order as any breaches will be deemed illegal and those found guilty will be liable for prosecution and or imprisonment.