BY JENNIFER KUSAPA
REMOTE island provinces in the Solomon Islands are calling on the government to extend the beche-de-mer open period to a year.
A concerned man from Duff Island, Temotu province, Walter Baddeley said that the open-season is too short for people from remote areas like Duff.
This is because they depend on the weather, sometimes the bad weather there can last for three months and currently in Duff is rough and the people will be facing difficulties in searching for beche-de-mer, Mr Baddeley said.
“Why not the Government re-considers the opening period and allows us a year?”
Mr Baddeley said while government is concerned with controlled harvesting, it should also consider people living in the remote outliers.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources has lifted the ban placed on the beche-de-mer fishery following a cabinet decision to have it lifted.
According to the Ministry of Fisheries the open period as agreed on will be three months from September 1 to November 30, 2017.
The ban was lifted after the current fisheries (Amendment) Regulation 13A 2009 was suspended early this month.
During this open period any person or community who wishes to catch, harvest, or process for sale any sea cucumber (beche-de-mer) species can do so, the Fisheries said.
