The Tribune

By NATARIO MCKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

Bahamian fishermen are hoping the imminent 2017-2018 crawfish season is a "repeat" of last year's, according to the Bahamas Commercial Fishers Alliance's (BCFA) vice-president.

"Everyone is getting ready and hoping that we have a good season like we had last year, and hoping that the Defence Force continue to do what they did last year; keeping the poachers off the banks. They did a tremendous job last year. The fishermen had a good year last year, and we are hoping for a repeat of that," Keith Carroll told Tribune Business.

The crawfish season begins on August 1, tomorrow, and closes on March 31.

"We hope that all the fishermen abide by the laws so that we can have a future in this industry. We also hope that we don't have any bad storms this year. That is always a concern. The same way the storms impact the land, it does the seabed the same way, and that's not good for fishermen," Mr Carroll added.

The BCFA has long voiced concerns over poaching by foreign fishermen, primarily Dominicans, and particularly during the closed season.

Mr Carroll said that while the Defence Force has done an admirable job in combating poachers, Bahamian fishermen remain concerned over marriages of convenience.

"We're still having some problems with Dominicans coming here and having marriages of convenience. The fishermen are really concerned about that," said Mr Carroll.