President Luis Abinader issued Decree 326-21 to back a resolution issued earlier by the Ministry of Environment regarding the ban on fishing of parrotfish in the Dominican Republic. Parrotfish are essential for the creating of sand. Recently, several fishing organizations had protested the ban.
National Geographic explains:
“Parrotfish are colorful and voracious herbivores that spend up to 90% of their day eating algae off of coral reefs with their beak-like teeth.
“Caribbean-wide analysis shows that the #1 thing we can do to ensure the health of coral reefs is to protect parrotfish. Parrotfish are colorful and voracious herbivores that spend up to 90% of their day eating algae off of coral reefs with their beak-like teeth. And they poop sand (up to 200 pounds of it per year!) keeping beaches beachy.
“However, parrotfish have been overfished and Caribbean reefs have gotten increasingly furry with algae over the past for decade, resulting in a far less pretty picture, and a far less productive and resilient ecosystem.”
The presidential decree establishes a nationwide ban on the capture of 13 species of fish to contribute to the development and protection of the species. The Presidency highlights the species have been subject to indiscriminate exploitation without taking into account the damages caused to the environment.
Decree 326-21, issued on Tuesday, specifies the ban is from 1 September to 31 December every year, in accordance with similar regional measures adopted within the Sica-Codopesca framework.
The ban covers all classes/family of parrotfish, soapfish, botu, and parrotfish. Also all species of sea cucumbers, holothurians and eel.
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Presidency
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19 May 2021