KINGSTON, Jamaica — Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Audley Shaw, says there is no ban in place on parrotfish.
At a post-Sectoral Debate press briefing at his Hope Gardens offices in St Andrew yesterday, Shaw said that extensive research and consultations have been undertaken with local and international experts to properly examine the issue.
He acknowledged the varied concerns expressed by lobby groups and explained that “while there exists a correlation between reduced herbivory and degraded coral reef systems, there is no conclusive evidence that the consumption of parrotfish is the cause of the depletion of the coral reefs”.
“In addition to the fact that there is no scientific basis on which to impose a ban on parrotfish, it is (also) not practical to impose a ban on a single species in a multispecies fishery, without serious negative impact on some of our most vulnerable citizens,” the minister said.
