The OECS Director General Dr. DidacusJules has expressed great optimism in the creation of a sustainable conch industry which will help to create livelihoods and preserve this importance resource for future generations.
His comments came as he spoke after the conclusion of a two- day regional workshop of the OECS Blue BioTrade Action Plan for the queen conch value chain at the Sunset Shores Hotel.
This workshop brought together Fisheries Stakeholders from across the region, as well as representatives from the European Union and the United Nations Conference on trade and development unit.
The trade in conch has been estimated at a current but increasing value of 68 million dollars with data from cites showing that between 1992 and 2001, 21.61 million pounds of conch was exported from the region