a dearth of mature sea-eggs, made worse by persistent poaching, has apparently led authorities to ban all harvesting of the delicacy this year.

Sources told the MIDWEEK NATION yesterday that a meeting held early last week by officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, its Fisheries Division and the Barbados National Union of Fisherfolk Organisations, came to that decision after analysing the results of a survey by a local marine biologist.

However, when contacted, Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Frederick Forde, neither confirmed nor denied the ban. He said any decision reached would be passed to the Government Information Service for public dissemination.

The previous ban, which took effect from October 1, 2005, was extended by Cabinet to this year after the numerous reports of poaching. Minister of Agriculture, Senator Erskine Griffith, confirmed then that most of the areas where sea-eggs were normally found were depleted because of illegal harvesting. There was a shortened one-month harvest season in 2004.

Over the past two months poachers, mainly from St Philip, where the sea urchins are said to be most plentiful, have kept Barbados Coast Guard and police patrols busy.

Last month one Marley Vale repeat offender was sentenced to nine months in jail after being held with an illegal catch of 449 sea-eggs. (WG)