Oct. 12, 2007 — Since conch fishermen have failed to abide by the Planning and Natural Resources Department's conch closure, the department issues a news release Friday to remind them that the season is closed until Jan. 1.
"The fishermen are acting like they didn't know," said Planning spokesman Jamal Nielsen.
The seasonal closure normally runs July 1 through Oct. 1, but Planning announced July 30 that it would be extended to Jan. 1. The three-month conch closure season was extended for another three months because conch harvests exceed sustainability.
"We are trying to save some conch," Nielsen said. During the 2005 to 2006 commercial conch season, fishermen took four times the sustainable harvest, he said.
When the extension was announced in July, the sustainable harvest was 60,000 pounds, said David Olsen, director of Planning's Fish and Wildlife Division.
The conch closure means a real sacrifice on St. Croix because conch is a traditional food served during the upcoming Crucian Christmas Festival, Nielsen said.
"But it's either that or we're going to deplete the resource completely," he said. If fishermen persist in harvesting conch while the season is closed, it will be closed indefinitely, he said.
If the conch season reopens as scheduled Jan. 1, the catch will be limited to 50,000 pounds a year. Once that limit is reached, the fishery will remain closed until the following year.
Conch fishermen are required to report their monthly catches. This requirement will be strictly enforced, officials say.
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