Sea eggs 'good source of income'

Headline:Sea eggs 'good source of income'

THERE SHOULD BE no need to have multi-year bans on sea egg harvesting if fisherfolk and consumers collaborate with fisheries authorities for a sustainable sea egg industry.

This is in the opinion of Dr Patrick McConney, senior lecturer at the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES) at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill.

McConney, head of the CERMES project on marine resource governance in the Eastern Caribbean (the MarGov Project), said that if everyone complied with the fisheries regulations, Barbados could likely have an open season on sea eggs every year.

His comments have come at a time when the Fisheries Division is preparing to survey sea egg grounds to determine, in consultation with fisherfolk, whether the closed season should be extended past September 30 for this small industry. It has been closed since September last year.

The industry is an important source of income for some fishing families, as Ministry of Agriculture estimates are that it employs about 200 regular people who could each earn in excess of $600 per week based on sea egg harvesting alone in the open season.

"With so much at stake, fishing industry stakeholders cannot afford for sea eggs or other fisheries to be threatened by not playing their part in helping to govern the fisheries of Barbados," commented McConney.

"Sea eggs are almost as important to Barbadian social interaction and cultural identity as flying fish. Sea eggs are much more than highly nutritious food. They bring friends and family together.

"Picking sea eggs introduces children to the sea. Money from the September harvest buys school shoes, books and uniforms in many fishing families involved from harvest to sale. Now, young Barbadians are not accustomed to eating the delicacy," he said.

Sustain industries

The former chief fisheries officer said the MarGov Project would continue to send the message to all fisheries and coastal marine stakeholders that if they were informed, and networked through organisations or informal groups, they could successfully collaborate in governance to sustain sea egg and other fisheries for generations to come.

He urged Barbadians to make use of the Fisheries Advisory Committee which was set up by law to link people in the society and fishing industry to fisheries policy.

"If we create an enabling policy environment, then people need not wait for government action when things are heading towards crisis. Enabling self-organisation would allow stakeholders to respond in ways flexible enough to adapt to different situations," he added.