It may be quite a while before one of Barbados’ favourite delicacies – sea eggs – return to the dinner table.
A senior official from Government’s Fisheries Division said yesterday poaching continued to be the major headache for future harvesting of sea eggs (sea urchins) on the island.
“If poaching continues we will eventually have no offspring. It’s a very serious problem,” the official told the DAILY NATION.
“It’s just like if all the adults in Barbados decided not to reproduce, the island would eventually become empty,” he added in describing the seriousness of the situation.
He said poachers continued to reap all the adult sea eggs, leaving none behind
to reproduce for next year’s generation.
In addition to assistance from the public, the Fisheries Division has also improved its monitoring activities to deal with the illegal menace.
Currently, an assessment is being conducted to find out how the sea egg population is recovering.
