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STATUS OF JAMAICAN QUEEN CONCH FISHERY

STATUS OF JAMAICAN QUEEN CONCH FISHERY. PREPARED FOR THE CFMC/OSPESCA/WECAFC/CFMC 2012 QUEEN CONCH WORKING GROUP. Description of the Jamaican Queen Conch Industry. An Industrial Fishery geared toward export

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STATUS OF JAMAICAN QUEEN CONCH FISHERY

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  1. STATUS OF JAMAICAN QUEEN CONCH FISHERY PREPARED FOR THE CFMC/OSPESCA/WECAFC/CFMC 2012 QUEEN CONCH WORKING GROUP

  2. Description of the Jamaican Queen Conch Industry • An Industrial Fishery geared toward export • Jamaica’s most important fishery producing 500 MT/year and US$ 3 million/year on average for the last decade • Employs over 2,000 persons directly including fishers, processors, administrators, etc. • Revenues contribute to it own management • Fisheries Management and Development Fund (FMDF)

  3. Fishery is based on the Pedro Bank

  4. Description of the Jamaican Queen Conch Industry- Vessels

  5. Description of the Jamaican Queen Conch Industry- Vessels • Vessels are decked and range from 25 to 30 metres in length over all • Typically powered by 640 horse power (hp) diesel engines • Operate mainly as mother boat to small canoes with divers using Hookhagear • Vessels fish a total 25 days on average per season over an approximate two month period. • Each vessel has 20 divers on average, each fishing 7 hours per day

  6. Description of the Jamaican Queen Conch Industry- Area of Operation

  7. Description of the Jamaican Queen Conch Industry- Vessels Per Year Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Fisheries Division database

  8. Description of the Jamaican Queen Conch Industry- Number of Fishers Per Year Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Fisheries Division database

  9. Policy and Legislation • Main Act • Fishing Industry Act 1975 • General management of the fishery • Licensing fishers and vessels • Closed season • Other Relevant Acts and Regulations • Conch (Export Levy) Act, 2009 • Imposition of conch levy • Est. of the Fisheries Management Development Fund and Board

  10. Policy and Legislation • Fishing Industry (Conservation of Conch (Genus Strombus)) Regulation 2000 • Est. and defines terms of IQ and NTAC • Declaration of conch in storage • Aquaculture Inland and Marine Products and By-Products (Inspection, Licensing and export) Act, 1999 • Food Safety standards and Quality Assurance for conch harvesting, handling, transport, processing , storage to export • Export licensing • Endangered species (Protection, Conservation and Regulation of Trade 2000 • Est. procedures for application for export quota

  11. Developmental Activities • Attempts have been made by at least one company to utilize conch shells for jewellery • Scope for value-addition to, for example, higher levels of processing if the market demands it

  12. Fisheries Management and Conservation Activities Jamaica’s conch industry has benefited greatly from the implementation of the Queen Conch Fishery Management Plan (1994) • set the guidelines for current management measures such as the NTAC and individual quota system, the closed season, the licensing and registration of fishers and processors, limited vessel entry, and resource conservation

  13. Fisheries Management and Conservation Activities • Conservation is also a priority of the management plan • six (6) month annual closed season (July 31 to February 1) • a limit of 30 metres depth to which fishers can fish have been implemented. • Industrial fishers are not allowed to fish within the five (5) miles of the Pedro Cays

  14. Fisheries Management and Conservation Activities • Plans are also afoot to have much of the shallow areas including reefs declared as MPA’S • First step was completed in early 2012 when South West Cay was declared a Special Fishery Conservation Area

  15. Consumption and Trade Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Fisheries Division database

  16. Consumption and Trade Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Fisheries Division database

  17. Data Collection Systems: annual catch statistics, research and stock assessment • Annual conch catch statistics are collected as part of the national fishery sampling and data collection plan • Include catch and effort data as well as biological sampling. • Authorized officer from the relevant agency collect data at critical points of harvest, pre- and post-processing, and export

  18. Data Collection Systems: annual catch statistics, research and stock assessment • Jamaica’s main research activity is the series conch abundance surveys done every 3 to 5 years to determine primarily • Conch density • Abundance • biomass of the stock on the Pedro Bank • These inform our harvest strategy and future management

  19. Survey Findings – Density per depth strata and biomass for each survey year

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