The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

Bahamian Fly Fishing Industry stakeholders yesterday expressed greater optimism over the future of the industry on the heels of a national consultation on a new proposed regulatory regime.

Cindy Pinder, the Abaco Association’s vice-president and secretary told Tribune Business yesterday a wider cross-section of stakeholder views were taken into account at yesterday’s consultation, with various industry groups including marina operators and conservancy groups in attendance.

“The meeting was very well attended from a lot of different stakeholders,” said Mrs Pinder. “I think everyone felt that they were being heard and acknowledged. If this had been the first step and not the third step things would have been different.”

At the centre of the controversy is the proposed requirement that all visiting fly fishermen, even experts who have been coming to the Bahamas for decades, have to hire a local guide at a cost of $600 per day, along with stricter definitions for foreign anglers and foreign-owned bone fishing lodges. Tourism stakeholders are especially concerned that the planned changes to the Fisheries Resources (Jurisdiction and Conservation) Act and accompanying regulations will create more red tape and price the Bahamas out of the market.

The regulations contain provisions for the creation of a conservation fund through the Department of Marine resources, for the conservation and management of the flats and its marine resources.

“The conservation fund is something that is very close to all of our hearts and not just the local stakeholders but our fishermen. We are probably the most sustainable tourism industry product that you could possibly have. It was good to hear the scientific input,” said Mrs Pinder.

She added: “The one thing that our organisation, most anglers and everybody else does agree, we do need a fishing license. That fishing license has to be reasonably priced and easy to access. That is agreed by everyone. All whole lot of what they have written in this draft about the licensing needs to go.”

Cheryl Bastian, owner of Swain’s Cay Bonefishing Lodge, Mangrove Cay, Andros, told Tribune Business that the industry has already been damaged by the negative reaction to the regulations with lodges already seeing cancellations.

“This is the time anglers are booking for the new year and people are getting cancellations,” said Bastian.”I think based on the feedback, more than 75 per cent of the room said that outright banning of do-it-yourself will not happen.  That’s the main thing for me because it will definitely turn away a lot of our tourists who can’t afford boats but want to patronise the local restaurants and hotels and just the thought that you couldn’t do that is concerning.

“I think the visitors are quite open to following the rules that we may put in place to do that. We feel better, we feel more optimistic now.”

The consultations are expected to resume in three weeks. “I don’t know how much more needs to be said,” Pinder told Tribune Business.

“I think a more productive thing would be to put together a draft, submit it to the stakeholders, get some input and then come back so when the Bill is ready to go to Parliament  there would perhaps be a lot more support for it rather than everyone be in an uproar again.”