Government made
it official that the ban against harvesting of
sea eggs will run for another year – until September 30, 2008.

Minister of Agriculture Senator Erskine Griffith made the announcement after a Cabinet meeting last week. It is the third straight year that Government has put the ban in place.

The minister said that divers conducted tests at 21 sites across the island and found that all, except for three, had absolutely no sea eggs and the population of the sea eggs there was very small. Griffith said widespread poaching across the island was responsible for the state of affairs.

According to Griffith, there was also evidence that young sea eggs were being harvested well before reaching adulthood and that the adult urchins were being poached. (TM)