The Tribune

A dozen spongers on Long Island expressed interest in creating an association and reviving the industry in conjunction with an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) funded project.

"It was encouraging to see so much support from the community in getting this industry restored on Long Island," said project co-ordinator Claudine Green. "Many of those who sponge, or want to get into sponging, also seemed very interested in establishing a local sponging association as a part of the larger project. This is very promising for the residual impact of the project."

The project to revitalise the industry is sponsored by the IDB and the government. It is being managed by the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC) with support from IICA (Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture); the Bahamas National Trust, the Department of Marine Resources and Bahamas Commercial Spongers Association (BCSA) Board members.

Long Island hosted the second Town Hall meeting that organisers have held outside the project's pilot island, Andros. Project managers have also met with Abaco spongers, and those interested in sponging, earlier in the month. At both meetings, organisers discussed sponging activity on the islands, future plans, ways the project can assist them, and future opportunities for training.

Deral Wells Jr is a 29 year-old sponger from Grays, Long Island, who left the meeting enthused about the possibilities. "I think the meeting opened most eyes with the classes and training that will be going on," he said.

The $1.1m project seeks to increase income for spongers by providing them with a larger share of revenue from the industry. A major component of the project is the formation of the Bahamas Commercial Spongers Association (BCSA) to centralise the processing of the sponge, and help to link spongers with international markets directly.

Mr Wells, who sponges for about five months every year, said the creation of local and national sponge associations should help increase prices and make it a lucrative livelihood for many Bahamians.

"It's a different avenue for Long Islanders and Bahamians to take instead of just waiting on someone to come in and dictate the pace," he said. "It's our product; we should be able to put a price on it. We don't go into the shop and say: 'Hey, this can of corned beef is 70 cents'. We have to buy it for whatever it costs. It's an easier way to make more money for us here."

BAIC's senior deputy general manager, Debbie Strachan, led the meetings on Long Island and Abaco. She believes the industry is on its way to rejuvenation and increased revenue for spongers.

"On both of these islands, along with Andros, it is encouraging to see the local support of spongers," she said. "We have identified a recurring issue of spongers having available reputable buyers, but a part of this project is to connect the local spongers with buyers who will pay top dollar not only for the unrefined sponge but also sponge that has valued added from processing, clipping and even packaging."

The IDB-funded project aims to empower Bahamian spongers who "do not have access to higher-value markets because they are not organised, and do not have the skills to process and market the sponges, and thus earn a low income". Many spongers harvest the sponge and sell it at a low price, not realising the full economic value of their work.