Stop the underhanded sale of conch shells to tourists in Tobago

I travelled to Tobago in April 2023, the first time in three decades. At Pigeon Point Beach I decided to pick up a souvenir to take back with me on the domestic flight to Trinidad. This souvenir happened to be a large conch shell, which was being sold at the private section of the beach where I had to pay to gain access. It is no surprise that there were many tourists there, as Pigeon Point Beach is a major tourist destination in Tobago. When I bought my conch shell it never occurred to me that I was not supposed to do so, that these shells were considered blunt objects and were not permitted on the aircraft.

My question is, why are the local authorities permitting the sale of these conch shells to unsuspecting visitors and tourists at Pigeon Point Beach and elsewhere on the island? This is an underhanded and crooked way of earning income by some Tobagonians at the expense of travelers. It is also a senseless waste of marine life, as these conch are being harvested and killed, and their shells sold to visitors, only to be dumped into the garbage upon seizure at the airport.

I have returned to my home country with this bitter memory about Tobago: the blatant dishonesty for the sake of earning a living by these conch scam artists, and the complete ignorance by the local authorities of this shameless overt act. At the very least, more needs to be done to inform visitors and tourists about these unfair trade practices in Tobago, to protect their consumer rights.

I am calling on the Tobago House of Assembly Consumer Affairs Unit, the Department of Tourism, the Department of Marine Resources and Fisheries, and the Chief Secretary to address the above issue. The underhanded sale of conch shells to tourists and visitors in Tobago needs to come to an end. This is for the sake of protecting their consumer rights, preventing wastage of marine life, and putting an end to this deceitful trade.