The Tribune

THE Bahamas National Trust and the Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation have rejected calls to shorten the grouper closed season.

They said last night they were supporting the annual season for grouper to run from December 1, this year to February 28, 2013.

Casuarina McKinney-Lambert, executive director of BREEF, said: “The Bahamas is one of the last remaining strongholds for the Nassau grouper throughout its geographic range. The Nassau grouper is already commercially extinct in many neighbouring countries, and is recognised as an endangered species by the World Conservation Union. The closed season is critical to ensuring that future generations of Bahamians can enjoy this important fish.”

The BNT acknowledged the concerns expressed about weather related hardships that fishermen may be facing.

It said it did not agree that a ‘short-term economic gain at the expense of spawning groupers would be worth the long term impact that would be wrought as a result.’

“The BNT therefore, does not support the recommendation to shorten the closed season to allow the harvesting of gravid groupers, and suggests that government not delay the implementation of the closed season for this important species,” it said.

“In fact BNT joins with BREEF to continue to advocate for a more, rather than less, comprehensive and ecologically significant closed season.”

The BNT said a three-month closure that was consistent from year to year and covers the major spawning period (normally December–February) should effectively protect spawning biomass.

It says the Bahamas is probably the last remaining stronghold for the Nassau Grouper throughout its geographic range.

As such, says the BNT, effective protection of the species would mean that the Bahamas will likely be the only country where it can be harvested commercially.

“The BNT truly feels that due to the extensive education and outreach done by BREEF, the BNT and the Department of Marine Resources, that fishermen and the general public understand the need for a closed season on this economically important fishery resource,” said the BNT.

“While fishermen remain concerned about the high level of poaching of grouper that takes place by Dominicano poachers during the closed season, many fisherman have told us that they are seeing positive results from the closed season and also express that they do not want to see our grouper fishery crash, as have others in the region.”

The Bahamas has implemented a country wide closed season for Nassau grouper since 2004.

Over the past few years, it has been between December 1 and February 28, which is the fish’s peak spawning period.

BREEF, the BNT and other conservation organisations have requested that this seasonal closure be permanently legislated, as is the case for crawfish and stone crabs.

“The BNT feels that shortening the closed season would take conservation back a few steps, and reverse the great strides that have been made in our efforts to restore the Bahamas grouper population to its former sustainable yield status.” said Eric Carey, Executive Director of the BNT.

“It is our considered view that the Bahamas should be moving toward a permanent legislated closed season to ensure that grouper is protected

throughout its reproductive period. We feel that not having a consistent fixed period will lead to confusion and uncertainty and continued requests to postpone the closed season.”