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STATUS OF JAMAICAN QUEEN CONCH FISHERY

PREPARED FOR THE CFMC/OSPESCA/WECAFC/CFMC 2012

QUEEN CONCH WORKING GROUP

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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)

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Fishery is based on the Pedro Bank

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Description of the Jamaican Queen Conch Industry- Vessels

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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 Hookha gear

• 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

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Description of the Jamaican Queen Conch Industry- Area of Operation

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Description of the Jamaican Queen Conch Industry- Vessels Per Year

Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Fisheries Division database

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Description of the Jamaican Queen Conch Industry- Number of Fishers Per Year

Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Fisheries Division database

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Consumption and Trade

Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Fisheries Division database

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Consumption and Trade

Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Fisheries Division database

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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

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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 densityAbundancebiomass of the stock on the Pedro Bank

• These inform our harvest strategy and future management

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

Survey Year Depth Strata (Metres)

Density Estimate (Conch/ha)

Biomass Estimate (Metric Ton)

1994 0-10 73  

13,325.48  10-20 152  20-30 203

1997 0-10 175  

12,203.27  10-20 88  20-30 203

2002 0-10 175  

15,305.85  10-20 138  20-30 244

2007 0-10 378  

7,421.78  10-20 49  20-30 50

2011 0-10 243.3112,213.98  10-20 144.81

  20-30 165.44