A bill was passed at the sitting of the House of Representatives on Friday, January 17, 2020, and it is good news for our country’s environment and fisheries. The Fisheries Resources Bill will help to make small-scale fisheries a more sustainable commodity to marine life as well as to our people. The new legislation will ensure the sustainable use and management of the fishery resources and the conservation of the coral reefs, mangroves and coastal waters that support them, as well as provide greater decision-making authority, food security, and resiliency to local communities.
It received unanimous support and will now go on to replace previous legislation, which was in place for approximately seventy years. With the ??n?t?’? ???r?v?l, the ??ll now g??? on to the G?v?rn?r G?n?r?l for ????nt then ?ubl??h?ng in the G?z?tt? b?f?r? ?ffic??ll? b???m?ng law. According to Beverly Wade, Fisheries Administrator, this bill will aid the collective impact to be made between government and non-government organizations as well as fishing associations and cooperatives. It works in conjunction with the ongoing shift in Fisheries Management which has now extended its focus to more aquatic organisms and the environments in which they thrive, both salt and freshwater.
Before passing, the Bill sat in a draft phase for more than a decade but now since its passing, it has received laud not only from the House and Senate, but also fisherfolk and organizations which hold fisheries and environment as their mandate. All these facets have pledged to work together for the facilitation and incorporation of this Bill.
