They claim that the ban is expected to have a devastating effect on the local fishing industry, causing an economic slump for many Bahamian families.
On Tuesday the department of fisheries announced that taking, landing, processing, selling and offering for sale of fresh Nassau groupers will be prohibited throughout the country in Jan. 2004.
The prohibition will also be in effect from Dec. 16, 2004 to Feb. 16, 2005.
The department said these measures are necessary to ensure the commercial fishery for the Nassau grouper in the Bahamas will be sustained for the benefit of present and future generations of Bahamian fishermen and consumers.
It was also announced that about seven square miles of waters surrounding High Cay, off the coast of Andros, will be designated a “protected area” from Dec. 18, 2003 to March 31, 2004. During this period, all forms of fishing will be prohibited in this area, which is well known as a site for a grouper spawning aggregation.
Yesterday, the Guardian visited several fishing locations including both Potters Cay and Montagu foreshore where fishermen voiced their displeasure over the decision.
“As a fisherman it is going to effect business for me bad because I only sell mostly grouper,” said Timothy Greene. “It’s going to be hard for me and I am hoping that they can come up with some other alternative.”
Former Potters Cay Fish, Fruit, Vegetable Vendors Association president Greg Edgecombe called on government to take into consideration closing some sites, while leaving others open to fisherman.
He said this was a practice the previous Government had in place and it worked well for both sides.
“From 1999 the FNM implemented “close season” in several places. Andros was one of them and Exuma was the other. That made a lot of sense because fishermen were still able to do their thing and make money,” he said.
“Now government is talking about closing down the whole, which I believe will have repercussions straight across the board. It is going to have a domino effect on restaurants and the larger hotels,” Mr. Edgecombe predicted.
He explained that the closure will directly affect his business as he supplies several restaurants with groupers.
“I am one of those who are going to be hit hard. I am going to have to be scrapping through, and I guess I am going to have to contact some of the politicians to help me pay some of my bills,” Mr. Edgecombe said.
The fisherman are not complaining about the ban itself, realizing that the Nassau grouper reserve is being depleted. However, the stipulations are of grave concern.
They are asking for some room to maneuver. Too, the fishermen said their concerns extends beyond their inability to fish, but the difficulty in preventing non-Bahamians from poaching. The men said when the areas are closed the Defense Force is not able to handle the areas because they do not have enough boats and manpower to do so.
“When they close it to us, they are going to be opening it to the Dominicans and others,” they claimed.
However, Montague vendor Robert Black, spoke in favour of he closure.
He deemed the move a “good thing” as it gives the grouper enough time to aggregate.
Mr. Back said he did not think that it will affect business much as fishermen can resort to catching species like hog and margaret fish and others.
In an interview with the Guardian, Agriculture Minister V. Alfred Gray, said he understood the concerns of the fishermen, but as minister responsible for the industry, he had a greater responsibility to the Bahamian people.
“I am acting on the advice of scientists who have advised the Government and we have accepted their advice that if we do not close the season sometime during the spawning of the grouper, in the not too distant future we will have no grouper to harvest,” he explained.
Minister Gray insisted that four weeks out of the year should not cause any irreparable damage to their livelihood.
“I am looking at the future of the Nassau Grouper and its availability and I think once they would have considered what we are doing it certainly will be in their interest to support the close of the season, because if that’s how they make a living they ought to be willing to sacrifice four weeks so that they will continue to have it,” Minister Gray said.
When asked about the closure of some areas leaving others open, Minister Gray said there is great difficulty in doing so.
“The government considered that but we knew that there would be extreme difficulties in seeking to administer and police such an order. And so to ban it totally will be the only way that we will be able to determine whether fishermen are abiding by the law or they are not,” he said.
Responding to their concerns of poaching, Minister Gray said
this has always been a problem.
“The difficult we have is that we have 100,000 square miles of sea. The Defense Force with its limited resources is unable to police the Bahamian waters the way it should and we recognize that.
“But I believe that with the coming of an aircraft for the Defense Force and the repairs to some of the vessels, which are now disabled, we should be able to do a better job at policing the Bahamian waters, but I don’t think we will be able to in the immediate future eliminate poaching all together,” he said.
He noted that it is hoped that those poachers which are caught and brought before the courts would be given the stiffest penalty possible and that may discourage them.
By Keva Lightbourne, The Nassau Guardian
