Barbados Urges Public to Refrain from Harvesting Juvenile Sea Eggs as Season Remains Closed
September 15, 2023
"Barbados' sea egg season is closed, and the public is urged to refrain from ordering or harvesting sea eggs in their juvenile stage to allow for repopulation. Chief Fisheries Officer cautions against further depletion."
Barbados’ sea egg season remains closed, and members of the public are being urged to refrain from placing orders or harvesting the sea eggs still in their juvenile stage.This plea has come from Chief Fisheries Officer, Dr Shelly-Ann Cox, who underscored the importance of leaving the young sea urchins to repopulated. A failure to do so, she cautioned, would result in juvenile sea eggs being harvested, and a further depletion in the population.
Cox said she had received reports of several divers being contacted by people placing orders for sea eggs, following the circulation of an old video showing sea eggs on the Consett Bay jetty, which suggested that the season was open.
However, the Chief Fisheries Officer made it clear that the season remains closed as the number of sea eggs observed were not substantial, and were mainly juveniles.
