The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The minister for agriculture and marine resources calls a Spanish Wells fisherman’s complaints about lack of consultation with the industry “patently untrue”.

Michael Pintard, responding to a voice note circulating on WhatsApp from Spanish Wells fisherman Chuck Pinder and the latter’s claims that the fisheries advisory council, of which he is a member, has met only once in the last seven years, told Tribune Business: “What he is saying is patently untrue. First of all, the ministry of agriculture and marine resources, through its minister has done a series of community consultations including in the community where Mr Pinder lives since I have been in the chair and I have been in the chair for two years.”

Mr Pintard also said: “My predecessor has also done consultations. We are meeting members of the community inclusive of members of this advisory committee that is dispersed throughout the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. I have done extensive meetings in Eleuthera, in Spanish Wells, in Long Island, in Grand Bahama and so on. We have been consulting with the community.

“In addition, we have been meeting, through the Department of Marine Resources and myself, with a number of the regional fishers associations that I presume Mr Pinder is also a part of. That would include the team that involves Keith Carroll, Paul Maillis in Grand Bahama, Fritz Thompson, we have also met with the fly-fishers association led by Prescott Smith the Long Island network as well as the South Andros network. We are in constant contact with the various associations.”

Mr Pintard also told us that Keith Carroll, interim president of the National Fisheries Association (NFA) is a member of the fisheries advisory committee and has been meeting “regularly” with members of the fishing community in trying to establish the Fisheries Act which is in the process of going to cabinet. He also said that calling a meeting does not necessarily have to depend on the leadership of the ministry as a co-chair can call for a meeting and one can be established.

Keith Carrol said about the fisheries advisory council not meeting in several years: “It has not been for seven years, but at least for three years going on to four. You would have to call the ministry and ask them why that is.”

Paul Maillis, a director with the NFA, on the other hand, said: “The advisory council has not met for several reasons, some of the individuals on it are no longer alive and you cannot meet without a full board. There are also some people that are still on the list that should not be there and that is why they have not reconstituted it and have no new meetings.

“The fisheries advisory council as it is constituted has not convened in many years. This is something that the NFA has been asking for, but it has not manifested.

However, Mr Maillis added: “There have been many meetings with fisheries stakeholders and the ministry but it has not been done under the umbrella of the Fisheries advisory council.”

Mr Pintard also responded to other claims made by Mr Pinder in that the ministry has not been taking Dominican poaching seriously, saying: “That’s their boogeyman, the Dominican fishermen is their boogeyman as if there is not unreported and unregulated fishing by Bahamians. We’re dealing with the Dominicans. This is the first time two years in a row that a minister has not signed one compressor permitting Dominicans to dive during the lobster season. In addition, neither has the minister of labour or the minister of immigration agreed at the cabinet level that they would not sign any labour certificate or work permit with regard to working in the fisheries sector.”