The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

Bahamian fishermen have slammed the proposed  $2.1 billion Chinese agricultural and fisheries investment  on Andros, describing it as “very worrisome” and something they cannot support.

Bahamas Commercial Fishers Alliance (BCFA) president, Adrian LaRoda, told Tribune Business that based on the feedback he had received,  fishermen will not support foreign participation in the commercial harvesting of fish in the Bahamas.

“We have always long suspected that the Chinese wanted fishing rights in the Bahamas. That has long been a concern for local fishermen,” Mr LaRoda told Tribune Business.

“While the Minister [V Alfred Gray] did say this is just the discussion phase, the fact of the matter is that this is the final draft of an agreement, which means it has long passed the discussion stage.

“If they are going to be doing aquaponics and that sort of thing, we would not have any major objections, but this agreement seems to be so open-ended. We will not support any foreigners getting involved in the commercial harvesting of any traditional fish in the Bahamas.”

Mr LaRoda’s comments come amid an ever-increasing public backlash to the proposal, which was developed by the Bahamas’ ambassador to China, Paul ‘Andy’ Gomez, and pitched to the Chinese government.

The mounting outcry had by last night seen 3,923 signatures (2,268 from the Bahamas) attached to an online petition, created by Sam Duncombe, founder of environmental group, reearth, that is headlined ‘Bahamians against Chinese fishing’.

With the Bahamas’ fisheries stocks already under severe pressure from Dominican poachers and environmental changes, many fear the Chinese ‘proposal’ could open the doors to factry-style methods that would deplete them further.

There are also concerns that the methods the Chinese would adopt may be detrimental to the sea and wider Bahamian environment, for which this nation relies upon not only for fishing but its tourism industry.

Mr LaRoda told Tribune Business that the BCFA has been pushing  for the enactment of revised fisheries legislation that speaks, in particular, to the prohibition of any foreign interest in the Bahamas’ fisheries sector.

“The Government has been slow in bring the revised fisheries legislation to Parliament,” he said. “As the law currently exists there is a provision in the Act that provides for a special permit for foreigners to be involved in the fishing industry for exploratory and scientific purposes only. There has been some abuses in that regard.”

Mr LaRoda added of the Chinese proposal: “This matter just raises too many questions. From the feedback and communication I have gotten, Bahamian fishermen are not going to support something like that.

“It’s very worrisome for the commercial fishermen and for the industry. There are some grave concerns over whatever their intentions are, and whatever the end result is going to be.

“The fishermen are not going to sit back and allow any government to allow fishing rights to be handed over to any foreign government because of the abuses that the entire industry could be subject to.”

Mr Gomez’s proposal, for which he received permission to initiate discussions from V Alfred Gray, minister of agriculture and fisheries, targets a $2.1 billion injection into the Bahamian economy over 10 years.

The financing would come from a $35 billion regional grant facility that the Beijing government has made available for infrastructure investments and such-like.

The initiative envisages a ‘partnership’ between Bahamians and the People’s Republic of China, involving the incorporation of 100 companies and the option to lease 10,000 acres of Crown Land in Andros. The agricultural products and seafood produced will be used for local consumption, and exported to China and the US.  

  Mr Gray, while confirming that he gave Mr Gomez  permission to have discussions on the matter, has continued to emphasise there is currently “no proposal before the Government” for approval.

He recently told Parliament that there is no way, under any circumstance, that the Government would give foreigners, no matter who they are, a license to fish in the Bahamas.