Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, has indicated that no consideration is currently being given to implementing closed season regulations for conch, as the sector is still in recovery.

He made the announcement while responding to questions in the House of Representatives on April 14, during his presentation outlining the framework for the Fisheries (Spiny Lobster) Regulations, 2026.

“It is a little more delicate to manage the conch fisheries, so we’re not there yet. But with lobster, this is the first time we are making this change,” Minister Green said.

He emphasised that the sector is in recovery, following a complete halt to conch fishing caused by overexploitation.

“Conch is still on the rebound. Remember, we went through a period where we had to stop our conch fisheries, and that was because of overexploitation, including overexploitation from external sources, not necessarily our fishers,” he noted.

Mr. Green highlighted the increasing conch populations and underscored Jamaica’s global leadership as the only nation with Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for wild-caught conch, a distinction that reflects the highest sustainability standards.

Meanwhile, the Minister noted that by next year, Jamaica will acquire its own research vessel, enhancing the fisheries sector’s capacity to independently conduct surveys of the nation’s marine life.

“That will be a gamechanger for fisheries. Now it costs us a lot of money to get these surveys done, [and] the last one was in 2023. When we have our own vessel, we can do these more regularly,” he said.

Mr. Green noted that once conch populations reach more sustainable levels, the Ministry will reassess the possibility of expanding access to the fishery.

The annual Conch Closed Season runs from August 30 to February 28.

During this period, it is illegal to possess, sell, process, or trade any conch products or by-products under the Fisheries (Conservation of Queen Conch) (Family Strombidae) Regulations, 2023.

Minister Green reported that, with the support of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Agricultural Protection Branch, 19 intelligence-led enforcement operations have been conducted since the start of the year, resulting in six arrests and five seizures for the illegal possession of conch during the closed season.