MINISTRY TO DEAL WITH ILLEGAL SEA CUCUMBER HARVESTING
Dried beche-de-mer. Photo credit: Solomon Times.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources has maintained it will prosecute those involved in the illegal harvesting of sea cucumber in the country.
Sea cucumber is currently banned from harvesting under the Fisheries Act.
Director of Fisheries, Edward Honiwala told SIBC News anyone found in possession of illegally harvested bech-de-mer will be dealt with accordingly.
He urged people in the provinces to report any illegal beche-de-mer harvesting to the Ministry.
“We are in Honiara so anyone in the provinces has information about anyone in possession of those beche-de-mer products the good thing to do is come to us at the Ministry and provide us with sufficient information as we don’t want to attend to cases with insufficient information and evidence as any reports reaching the Ministry will have to be thoroughly assessed before we can take further action.”
SIBC News understands, a consignment of illegally harvested beche-de-mer was recently destroyed by Fisheries officers in the Western province.