New rules for conch fishing in the U.S. Virgin Islands:
The final rule for new queen conch fishing limits in the Virgin Islands has been published and will take effect at the end of the month.
The new rule is an amendment to the Fishery Management Plan for Queen Conch Resources of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands Establishing Compatible Closures. The final rule was published in the Federal Register by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service on April 29 and will take effect May 31.
The new regulations will bring consistency to the federal and local catch limits for conch, according to NOAA.
Before the new regulation, when the territorial waters of St. Croix reached their 50,000 pound quota for queen conch, an area of federal waters known as Lang Bank would remain open to queen conch harvest through the end of the fishing season.
With the implementation of the new rule, when the territorial waters of St. Croix reach their 50,000 pound quota, it will trigger the closure of Lang Bank to queen conch until the start of the next fishing season.
Under the final rule, NOAA Fisheries Service will close the queen conch fishery after the local government has determined that the quota in St. Croix has been reached.
Additionally, the Lang Bank seasonal closure will change from the previous closure of July 1 through Sept. 30, to the new closure of June 1 through Oct. 31, each year.
According to NOAA, fishing for and possession of queen conch is prohibited in the Caribbean Exclusive Economic Zone with the exception of the Lang Bank east of St. Croix. The EEZ begins where territorial waters end – three miles offshore – and continues outward an additional 200 miles.
Read more at the Virgin Islands Daily News.
[Photo: Willy Volk]
