The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE HOPE Town District Council said it is appalled by a recent purported “high volume of illegal activities” related to violations of fishing laws and regulations.

Jeremy Sweeting, the chief councillor, said many of the culprits of recent illegal activities are tourists, but that some Bahamians also engage in poaching.

The press release came after Karen Huff-Lowe, an American married to an Abaco resident, expressed frustration in a Facebook post about a Florida-registered vessel that appeared to be crawfishing near one of her family’s crawfish traps on Monday, the day before the crawfish season opened.

Director of Marine Resources Gregory Bethel said officials are investigating her complaint.

“When we pulled up to the vessel to inquire what they were doing, the captain announced they had a home on Tilloo and were just checking traps,“ Mrs Huff-Lowe said in her social media post.

“Most of my husband’s habitats that were full of crawfish three weeks ago have already been worked by thieves/tourists before the season has opened tomorrow.”

 Mrs Huff-Lowe told The Tribune she could not verify what the people took, but that it seemed they were preparing to take her husband’s catch.

 She said it is maddening that some second homeowners do not adhere to the law.

 The crawfish season opened yesterday. Through a cruise permit, foreigners can catch a limited number of crawfish.

 Mrs Huff-Lowe said: “I didn’t sleep hardly last night because I was worried about (my husband) going out today, and you know we’ve been begging for the government to do something about this for as long as I’ve been married to him. We told them how they could raise the funds in order to afford an enforcement situation.”

 “They’re scared to do anything about these tourists because of the tourists’ dollar, but what they don’t see is the future that if they don’t control it and whatnot, as soon as they fish us out, there won’t be any reason for them to be here anyway and they’ll just leave.”

 The Hope Town District Council urged people to follow the law.

 “To those of you that fish out of season or take above your legal limits, we, in the strongest possible terms, caution you from doing so,” the council’s press statement said. “If you truly care about this country that you are visiting, please respect our laws and wait until August 1st before harvesting crawfish.”

 “There are many Bahamians, a number of them, that respect the law and depend on their catch for their livelihood. By breaking our laws, you are disrespecting our local fishermen, our people and our country. And, if you feel no shame in this, then I am not sure if we need you to continue to visit our islands. We have many law-abiding visitors who are respectful and are welcome to return.”

 Mr Sweeting urged legislators to consider amending fisheries regulations to empower locals to assist with policing.

 “This amendment would deputise a handful of marine wardens, persons who will treat violators with professionalism and respect, but will also enforce our fishing laws and penalise offenders,” the council said. “Violators would have their vessel confiscated until they paid their fine under the law.”

“The marine wardens would provide their personal vessel and would either volunteer their time or receive a small stipend. The Department of Fisheries would cover their fuel expense. The wardens would only be active part-time during the times when poaching seems to be at its peak, the months of June and July.”

“This issue has been an issue for many decades, and there seems to be no movement toward addressing this issue. For crawfish populations to be sustainable, our laws need to be respected and to those that refuse, they need to feel the ‘hand of the law’ — even if by local fisheries deputies! Please Mr Minister, the time for action is now.”