While some expressed the need for a plan to protect the species, they feel the government is going about it the wrong way.
Income Others say the closed season will cramp their income without really providing proper protection to the species.
The Tribune visited several locations yesterday where fishermen have erected stalls to sell their wares, including Potter’s Cay Dock and the Montagu ramp.
The general attitude towards the initiative was discontentment.
“The people making this law know nothing about fishing,” declared a Spanish Wells fisherman, who preferred to be known as “The Sea Warrior”.
“A lot of poor fishermen depend on grouper. They need to target certain areas at certain times to protect areas where the fish spawn -not cramping everybody’s ability to make money off grouper for a whole month,” said the seaman of 40 years.
His sentiments were reiterated by fisherman Greg Edgecombe: “The previous administration was alternating this thing from 1999, whereby they close certain areas for a certain length of time, two or three years, and then they opened it up and closed another area. That made a whole lot more sense than closing groupers down completely.
“I think it is going to cause some very hard times in this country straight across the board – you’re talking local restaurants, hotels,” he said.
Hotels
“Whether it is one month or one week, this island needs to supply the hotels and restaurants; and we are talking about this being a tourist destination? What will they be coming here to eat? But anyway mother nature kicked in and took care of the schools of grouper this December.”
Mr Edgecombe’s statement can be deemed true, as every fisherman interviewed said heavy winds deterred them from obtaining any grouper this holiday season. Not one stall visited had any species of grouper for sale.
“You have large areas where groupers school. Here’s what they had in place – they would close Andros, Long Island and Cat island areas at different periods of time. That made more sense than closing the season permanently for a month. I am suggesting we go back to alternating these areas,” said Mr Edgecombe.
He warned that there could be serious repercussions from more than just fisherman due to the newly-instated closed season, because “the people are going to feel the pinch.”
“We need to preserve our fish for upcoming generations,” said fisherman Henry Bannister.
He told The Tribune that with the new initiative, he would have to make a living ‘someway else’.
Mr Bannister advised fishermen to target yellow wings and mutton fish while the season is closed but he, too, warned that he feared many may not be taking the news too well.
He said some fishermen would have liked to stock up on their Nassau grouper supply to cover their income for the month of January, but weather has not been permitting them to do so.
“Mother nature already dealt with that (closed season) for us. Look around: do you see any groupers on the tables? Weather has been bad this December. Now we are banned another month. It’s going to be bad for all of us,” said Mr Bain, a Nassau fisherman.
Stock Veteran fisherman Tony Brown said: “You’ve got to save them (the Nassau grouper) somehow, because the way it’s going now, grouper stock is getting very short.
“I don’t have any grouper to sell. The boats have been out, and now they come back – no grouper. They’ve got to do something, but they’ve got to do it right. And right now we aren’t making any money,” he said. Younger fishermen, he added, are more interested in building or purchasing dry-bottom boats for crawfishing, and when the “old fellas die out, that’s it”.
“It’s hurting me, too, but it has to be done, because my grandchildren will not know what grouper looks like if they don’t do it,” said Mr Brown.
Vendors also expressed their feelings about the closed season. All interviewed were upset that they could not supply groupers to their customers during January.
“They could not go out because of the weather, now they won’t be able to go out for January – that’s two month’s income lost on my most popular seller,” said Randy Dean.
He questioned whether the government consulted a council of fishermen from a wide cross-section to see how things were going in the industry, and how best to protect the species, rather than making decisions “ad hoc”.
Vendor Sherrel Knowles, while upset about the announcement, said she still felt something had to be done to protect the Nassau grouper from extinction.
“Usually I would get $500 worth of grouper from my Long Island people, come back and make good profit. Now they are telling me they won’t have any to sell me until February. I don’t feel good about that.
“But on the other hand, they get groupers by the thousands. That’s too much on the species. Give them a rest. And you think because they are getting them by the thousands they would drop the price? No! They want to charge $50 and up for their groupers,” she said.
Vendors nearby expressed discontentment, and warned that there may be negative reactions to the January ban.
Other fishermen said things are going slow in the business right now, and the ban is not good news.
But all agreed that if a ban was placed on certain areas at certain times, they could respect the government’s decision.
Several fishermen interviewed raised concerns about the baby fish being caught in recent times – fish that are spawning in schools.
Fingers were pointed at Spanish Wells boats as being the culprits of “baby fish robbing”, and they are calling for the government to look into the situation.
They said when bans are being introduced, the Department of Fisheries should also look at other species that need to be protected during spawning periods, such as the prized red snapper.
Next year will see a ban not only during January, but again on December 16 until February 16, increasing the ban to two months.
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries V Alfred Gray told The Tribune that after February, 2005, his ministry would re-examine the situation and make the best possible decision to save the grouper.
The Bahamas Reef Environmental and Educational Foundation (BREEF) praised Minister Gray for taking steps to protect the species.
BREEF spokeswoman Casuarina McKinney said this initiative is the first step towards preserving the marine environment for future generations, and encouraged the government to have groups like theirs give their input into decisions which will affect the Bahamas marine environment.
By Felicity Ingraham, The Tribune
