Head of the Plant Protection and Quarantine Division in the Ministry of Agriculture, Ryan Anselm, has warned that Dominica must take all necessary measures to address the threats of invasive alien species.
Over the past five years Dominica and the rest of the region have experienced a number of instances of pest introduction and invasion of alien species including Black Sigatoka, the Citrus Greening disease and the Giant African Snail.
“These pests have caused serious economic problems for Dominica and the rest of the Caribbean … that is why together with organizations like IICA, CARICOM, CARDI, USDA/APHIS, we have put a working group together to deal with the potential impact of invasive species and when they are introduced in different territories, to put programs in place to manage,” Anselm told Dominica News Online.
He said with the adverse effects of climate change there has been a rapid introduction of new pests in the region.
Concerning the recent discovery of the deadly Black Sigatoka in Dominica, Anselm said the island is not alone in terms of suffering from the effects of the disease.
“It’s in Grenada, Trinidad and most of the Caribbean countries,” he explained.
Anselm is urging Dominicans to strictly adhere to plant Quarantine measures to reduce the impact of the disease which affects banana and plantain crops.
In 2004 the Caribbean Invasive Species Working Group (CISWG) recommended to member countries, the following measures to combat threats of invasive alien species:
• Coordinate and implement regional efforts;
• Implement a prevention public campaign;
• Establish a bio-surveillance to integrate a system of pests information;
• Elaborate plans of early detection and rapid response; and
• Create a Regional Group to examine potential impact of recent species introduction
I don’t want to offend any Dominican. But all those snails are wasting away, Gosh! Just sell them to France. They raise them and take good care like any other animal, if it is one. Christmas time, they are in the big freezers, in a place of honor, waiting for the customers. They are prepared before being freezed and they sell them very expensive. The big ones even more. They are sold in packets of 12, 24, 36 etc, just add the 12’s. Cook in oven for a few minutes. It’s very good, and I like it very much. I will have to get the recipy from the Frenchies.
i saw those snails in Guadeloupe, i actually took a pic of it. all now i have it on my phone. first time i saw a snail so big.
they love beer
put some in a container add the salt put it in the garden add some water inthe container thats what we do in guadeloupe 4 the snails
….What about the invasive species brought in by pet stores and regularly updating customs officers?
WHAT?!? THE ALIENS ARE HERE!?! RUN FOR COVER PEOPLE!
The African Snail is all over the region, here in Barbados we have them, we even have a bounty per lb for them, so far little success. Like in Dominica, when they first appeared the authorities moved too late, mostly they came through our port or some claim with the sahara dust. Even in florida in the mighty USA they are giving big trouble.
Sad but the Snail can’t be contolled
It seems like most of the negative connations tend to have a black, or African base. Who came up with such names anyway? When we look up the word black in the dictionary, everything about this word is negative. It is time that we sieze the power to define rather than accept what these Europeans have coined as words and we have just accepted them without questioning.
black plague, black friday, black hole, black sigatoka, black death, black market, black measels,black head, giant african snail and the list goes on.
This pest is very serious, it was first spotted in Dos Dan more than three years ago. I think that the relevant authorities did not tackle this aggressively at all, so it is now in the forest!! Best of luck trying to control it there. What is the Min. of Agriculture’s plan to control the Giant African Snail? I am afraid that it is too little, too late.
Lord help Dominica!!!!!
Where the hell are they coming from?????
yo guadeloupe frist i saw it what china have to do with it BVI they does kill it with salt
yah guadeloupe got them too but that dosent mean they came from there.
I know all this because I live in a neighbouring island that has them and saw the in my yard. I spoke to an official from the Agriculture department and he told me so. Lets not let this deadly creature, the giant African Snail ever enter or thrive in Dominica.
The giant African snails are very deadly. They are voracious plant eaters and will eat your succulent leaves such as lettuce etc in a heartbeat. They are hemophrodites, that is each snail has both male and female sexual organs so when they mate they impregnate each other. Each snail lays about 200 eggs, so in one mating session we talking about 400 eggs being fertilized. The authorities should have snail bait available on the island to sell to persons who need them. The bait kills them instantly. Don’t waiste your precious expensive salt on them.
The Chines bring them to DA so that once they put them out there to breed and multiply, we will be eating them in the Fuey Ma Chu that we order. Like the Haitians, the Chinese care very little about the environment. They are only concerned about lining their pockets. In a few years, we won’t even have crabs to eat, because of how the Haitians use baiting to catch them. We won’t have trees to build a little shanty. All along Dominicans are sitting on their hands and fighting each other. I am not prejudice against those groups, I am just saying it like it is. Whether we like it or not, Chinese and Haitians are parasitic in their approach to life. It is just the fact.
Google countries with the worst environmental impact and China is right up there. Google Haiti and environmental degradation and read on.
dat lookin like it can stew in a pot well with some irish potatos…..yummmmmmmmm
YEAH Those giant millipedes here too! These things need to be eradicated asap! cant stand the site of these ewwww
Yeah, these things give me the creeps especially when they enter the house. They are very aggressive. Not even the officers within the Agricultural Division can give counsel on what best can be used to eradicate them.
the first place i saw this snail was in Guadeloupe over ten years ago. I find you all took time!
Blame it on China please not Guadeloupe, they did not come from Guadeloupe, these species are being imported from China
All the containers coming from China, with the so called materials, fake Gucci, fake this and that they need to be check by customer and also health inspector
It’s the Africans who eat those giant snails. That is why it is so important to check their baggages at the airport, upon arrival into DA. They also tend to bring smaller snails and release them, so that in a few years they will be available in abundance for consumption. Yuk! Last week in Scotland, a Nigerian man travelling from his native country was caught with 4 giant snails, concealed in his suitcase. Yuk!
THIS IS A QUITE SERIOUS ISSUE …I USE COOKING SALT TO KILL THEM…THE HIDE IN SHADY AREAS AND COME OUT MAINLY AT NIGHTS VERY VICIOUS PEST…
Why are you shouting?