Sea eggs season gets under way
LOCAL delicacy sea eggs will undoubtedly be on the plates of many Barbadians today, now that the sea egg season, which will last one month, officially started yesterday.
It was back in October last year that Chief Fisheries Officer at the Fisheries Division, Stephen Willoughby, said officials were presently reviewing the results from the annual survey of sea eggs and the possibility of a sea egg season is still to be decided by officials. An indefinite ban on the urchin started back in 2005 in an effort to prevent future decline. It was however lifted a decade later in 2015 and also in 2016 for the month of October under a registration and licensing system.
It was therefore welcomed news earlier this month when it was announced that there would indeed be a lift in the ban, but with some conditions. One of the conditions was the observance of “ a no harvest area”, which runs from Kendal Point in Atlantic Shores, Christ Church, to The Chair, which is south of Ragged Point, St. Philip.
Additionally, persons interested in harvesting, processing and selling sea eggs are required to obtain a licence from the Fisheries Division.
The Fisheries Division has also advised that no water or any other material should be added to containers to increase the amount of the product in the package.
Meanwhile, those diving for sea eggs are asked to note that no scuba gear should be used to dive for the delicacy, and they are also prohibited from removing immature or small sea eggs from the fishing grounds.
Strict guidelines have also been put in place as it relates to the handling, processing and distributing of sea eggs. As such, only food grade containers should be used.
The Fisheries Division also advised that no recycled containers, including those which previously contained chemicals, such as detergent, paint, engine oil, sanitizers or disinfectants, cat litter, trowel plastic or pool cleaning materials, should be used during the processing and packaging of sea egg roes for sale.
In addition, the packaged product should be placed in a cooler with ice for storage until sale, and frozen, if not sold within 12 hours.
Additionally, persons are cautioned not to break the sea eggs over the fishing ground where there are sea eggs, and against leaving broken shells exposed on the beach.
They are advised to bury the shells deep in the sand, high up on the beach beyond the high water mark and deep enough not to surface and cause harm to users of the beach or nearshore waters.
Persons handling sea eggs are also reminded that they should not wear jewellery, artificial nails, long nails or nail polish when processing the sea egg roes.
The sea egg season will close on Monday, October 14.