New Fisheries Bill to promote transparency – Samuda

Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, the Hon Karl Samuda has assured members of the fishing industry that the introduction of the new Fisheries legislation is intended to promote transparency and fairness in the management of the subsector.
Addressing the Annual General Meeting of the Jamaica Fishermen Co-operative Union April 25 at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston, Minister Samuda told the fisher folk in attendance that the new provisions would allow for the allocation of quotas for the fishing of lobster and conch, for example, in accordance with objective criteria that would benefit the entire sub-sector, including small fisher folk.
“I have sought,” Minister Samuda said, “to demystify that process.”
He identified the establishment of an fisheries authority to conduct the allocation process as a strength and listed some of the provisions of the new Bill which will include a regime for ticketable offences and breaches of the Act and the requirement for new categories of licences to include Local Fishing Vessel Licence, Foreign Fishing Vessel Licence, Commercial Fishing Licence, Recreational Fishing Licence, High Seas Fishing Vessel Licence, Commercial Aquaculture Licence and a Licence to Operate a Commercial Aquaculture Facility.
The agriculture and fisheries minister further assured the fisher folk that the long awaited Fisheries Bill would finally be tabled in the House of Representatives in a “matter of weeks”.
Mr Samuda urged the fisher folk to respect the laws governing the sector and to support the monitoring of regulations to protect the sector from illegal and unregulated fishing.
“The rules will be outlined in the new Fisheries Bill and we expect you to live by the rules,” Minister Samuda said.
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Contact:

Director, Communication & Public Relations
Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries
Hope Gardens, Kingston 6
T – 618-7128; E: pr2@micaf.gov.jm; daoconnor@micaf.gov.jm
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