NEWS RELEASE

Dateline: June 25, 2002

ALLEGED CONCH EXPORTERS FACE COURT JULY 26 

 The case against Mr. Errol Wilmot, his wife and son, the directors of the Ocho Rios based Company Wilmot Seafood who are charged with alleged breaches of the Endangered Species Act, is set for mention in the Ocho Rios RM court on July 26 2002. 

 The allegations are that Wilmot Seafood has exported Queen Conch (Strombus gigas) in breach of the procedures required by the Jamaican Endangered Species Act. This Jamaican Law conforms to the requirements of CITES (the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). CITES is an international agreement between governments, which regulates the trade in rare and endangered plants, and animals. It regulates international trade in species to protect against over-exploitation and to reduce the likelihood of extinction. The Jamaican Endangered Species Act is the national law which ensures that the CITES provisions are adhered to within Jamaica.

The Jamaican police, at the request of the Natural Resources Conservation Authority  (now NEPA), have conducted a year long investigation into the matter, which involved travel by police personnel to the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic.

The charges include, exporting marine products without a marine identification number, exporting marine products without a valid exporter’s certificate, making false declarations in export documentation and exporting marine products without an  export permit.  The penalties under the Law include fines of up to two million dollars or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both such fines and imprisonment, for charges related to unlawful trade. For false declarations, the sanctions include fines of up to one million dollar or imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year (or to both such fines or imprisonment).