The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

Fishermen have reiterated their call for the expansion of commercial fishing in The Bahamas, telling this newspaper: "We need to fish our ocean."

Keith Carroll, the Bahamas Commercial Fishers Alliance (BCFA) vice-president, told Tribune Business: "We need to fish our ocean. The fish are in our ocean and we are not catching them. The BNT (Bahamas National Trust) is saying they don't support long line, but it doesn't mean it's not happening.

"The Defence Force doesn't protect the ocean; they protect the banks. You go in these high-end restaurants and you see tuna on the menu and swordfish on the menu. How do you think they were caught? They need to really advocate for the Government to stop these Dominicans from fishing in our country. Right now, people have been doing that kind of fishing since that ban was in place. We have to wake up in this country."

Michael Pintard, minister of agriculture and marine resources, last week denied the Government plans to reverse the ban on long line fishing, telling Tribune Business: "We won't change now." He added that he was taken aback by the BNT's unexpected public expression of concern that the Government was about to permit this practice within the waters of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

His comments came after the BNT released a statement in which it described longline fishing as a destructive practice that could change the Bahamian way of life forever. Shelley Cant Woodside, the BNT's director of science and policy, said that while the Trust was open to exploring the possibility of developing sustainable pelagic fisheries for commercial fishermen, it would not support any legislation that allowed longline fishing.

This is the use of hook and line gear that can have thousands of baited hooks on lines which extend many kilometres from the vessel. Long lines can be used to fish Pelagics near the surface using floats, or near the bottom using weights, depending upon the targeted species.

The BNT statement, which appeared to be a response to Mr Pintard's previous statement that his ministry and the Department of Marine Resources (DMR) were exploring the expansion of commercial fishing to species such as tuna, warned that long line fishing had devastated stocks around the globe.

"The BNT is aware that many pelagic species are already being fished daily in Bahamian waters and has not taken a position opposing Bahamian fishermen targeting these fish," the statement read.

"What the BNT has raised with the Minister and DMR officials are concerns regarding the use of unsustainable and destructive methods. The BNT is aware that there are persons advocating for the amendment of Bahamas fishery legislation to allow for longline fishing. This practice is known around the world to have devastating effects on marine resources.

The statement continued: "The BNT would not necessarily stand in opposition to commercial fishermen exploring the feasibility of developing sustainable pelagic fisheries, but we are emphatically opposed to the establishment of a long-line fishery within the Bahamian Economic Exclusive Zone."