He said other instances of poaching in Bahamian waters remain a problem for officials.
Speaking Wednesday night at a press briefing following a 10-day trip abroad, the prime minister also announced that the Bahamas Agriculture and Industrial Corporation (BAIC) and the Bahamas Development Bank would be integrated into the Ministry of Finance.
Docked Mr Christie reminded the public that before he left the Bahamas government had concluded that the fleet of 15 fishing boats docked at Morgan’s Bluff, Andros should leave the Bahamas.
“The matter had been referred, as it ought to have once the Ministry of Agriculture revoked the duty-free exemptions, to Customs in accordance with the Customs Management Act,” he said.
Mr Christie said he had every reason to believe that Customs would have embarked on a full investigation to determine ownership of the fleet, including the mother ship.
“The position I adopted in parliament, on behalf of the Bahamas government and the Bahamian people, was unequivocal, beyond compromise.
I am, however, subject to the law and whatever is deemed to be the law I must carry out. Nothing has happened to my knowledge to cause me to move away from the provisions that I left in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, that the Bahamian waters, all 100,000 square miles of it, are the exclusive domain of Bahamian fishermen using boats that are owned by Bahamians, unless otherwise deemed to be so by the government or laws of the Bahamas,” said the prime minister.
Mr Christie said that government was not in a position to take the boats from, Earlin Williams, CEO of Netsiwill, the company at the centre of the controversy.
Mr Christie said that as a citizen, Mr Williams has the right to say whatever he wishes.
“When a government makes a decision, if a citizen is aggrieved that citizen has a right to express himself as strongly as he thinks is necessary, and avail himself of any application they would wish to make to the court in accordance of what they believe. That is also something we will respect and uphold,” he said.
Mr Christie said that while people are concerned by the presence of the boats, there was no need for real concern as the Comptroller of Customs now has command of the boats.
Anxious “To those who are anxious about the matter, this all will be played out publicly in accordance with the law. There is a Bahamian by the name of Prescourt Smith who was a Defence Force officer and who is now a very successful hotel owner and bone fish guide in Andros. He advised the Bahamas government that we have a potential $500 million a year industry in the Bahamas in fly fishing, but he has said to authorities and to the Bahamian public, to Bahamian fishermen in Andros and otherwise, that as we speak, during anytime during the year, there are American fishing boats in the Bahamas illegally fly fishing with mother ships, so I am equally concerned that my government act in a manner to outlaw illegal fishing, wherever that is,” he said.
Mr Christie said that while public dialogue focuses on parked boats in the control of customs, there are Bahamians who know the extent to which Bahamian waters are being exploited by other mother ships. “Bahamian fishermen are deeply concerned about Dominican fishermen that come into our waters, and so we must not be overly focused and captivated by an issue that is totally under control,” said Mr Christie.
We must be concerned about those matters that we do not have under control.”
By Rupert Missick, The Tribune
