Business

Assisted by a recent law raising the state tax on conch exports, the Government's coffers, challenged by declining tax collections since the onset of the global recession some two years ago and its significant knock-on effect locally, is expected to be pumped up by some $80.9 million in 2010. The agriculture industry is projecting total sales of US$8.3 million or J$728 million for that fisheries sub-sector for the 2010 season which just ended.

Government projections are for 420 tonnes of the seafood to be exported this season at a price of up to US$9 per pound, Dr. Marc Panton, chief technical director in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MoAF), told Wednesday Business. Some 20 tonnes are expected to be retained for local consumption.

The queen conch fetches the highest price, industry sources said, noting however, that legislated changes to industry operations have resulted in smaller harvests of this variety each year. Europe is the primary market for Jamaican conch.

The seafood is sold either fresh or dried and is largely used by buyers to prepare salads or chowder. The shells are also utilised in pottery and jewellery. Most conch fishing in Jamaican waters occurs on the Pedro Bank, from where it is estimated that up to 95 per cent of the conch landed here originates. Small amounts are also fished from the Formigas Bank and Morant Bank areas of our territorial waters.

Starting in January 2010, local conch harvesters were provided with a set quota and were mandated to complete their catch by season's end just before the start of the hurricane season.

Exports fall

Conch exports have fallen since 1999 when data showed that Jamaica was the largest exporter of queen conch meat, selling 7,500 tonnes between 1993 and 1999. This accounted for 46 per cent of all queen conch recorded in international trade in that period, Government data show.

In 1996 alone nearly 2,000 tonnes of the product was exported from Jamaica.

A research paper titled, 'Managing Jamaica's Queen Conch Resources,' published on October 2006 and written by researchers Karl Aiken, Andre Kong, Stephen Smikle, Richard Appeldoorn and George Warner, indicates that rapid expansion of the fishery on Pedro Bank in the decade of the 1990s caused serious concern for the sustainability of the fishery, threatened by overfishing.

This resulted in the fisheries division of the MoAF and the CARICOM Caribbean Community's Fisheries Resources Assessment and Management Programme drafting a management plan for Jamaican conch. The plan is based on a system of quotas under the National Total Allowable Catch (NTAC) system.

The NTAC levels are set at the beginning of each conch fishing season, normally in November, by the local fisheries division.

Based on this year's harvest outlook, the agriculture ministry is also expected to collect increased amounts from the levy as in May the Conch Export Levy Act was passed, moving the cess on every pound of conch exported to US$1.00 up from US$0.75.

In August 2009, a new board was appointed for the Fisheries Management and Development Fund, which last season collected $59.5 million, money earmarked exclusively to implement on measures to enhance the sustainability of the fisheries subsector.

In 2009, the Government earned some $57 million from the levy imposed on conch exports during that fishing season.

The money, has been channelled into the fisheries fund which has been given the mandate to ensure the sustainable development of the fisheries sector.

Jamaicans found collecting conch contrary to their conch licences are liable to be fined and failure to pay such fines may lead to imprisonment.

avia.collinder@gleanerjm.com