Today I have read with keen interest the letter of Mr Abner Pinder to the editor and I respectfully disagree with him. Over the years, I have with great sadness, concern and dismay seen a great transformation of the fishing industry in the Bahamas. I have over the years seen the fishing stocks greatly diminished and in most cases the fish get smaller and smaller. I know this letter will ruffle quite a few feathers of some fishermen, but sometimes that is necessary for progress and change.
Over the years a “select few” people (mostly whites) have advocated “conservation” but in my humble opinion they are not paid any attention to mainly because of their “status” in society and their “apparent” reasons for conservation even though their reasoning is correct. I remember quite vividly, growing up on the island of Andros and seeing boatloads of large groupers being landed at the fish houses there during the winter months when they were spawning. Today, sadly that doesn’t happen anymore to that extent thanks in part to over fishing, modernisation of the fishing industry and other factors. I do, however, applaud this present Minister Alfred Gray for taking the first bold step to have a closed season on the Nassau grouper hence allowing it to replenish itself.
Next, let me deal with the “condo” issue. In my humble opinion, I think they should be banned from use in our Bahamian waters and for the likes of me I can’t see why the Department of Fisheries has not done that as yet….a long time ago, the fishermen of the Dominican Republic found a very innovative and creative way of catching the crawfish by the use of “condos” and the Cubans likewise also found a creative way by the use of large tyres to attract the crawfish. Strangely enough the crawfish are very much attracted to these artificial reefs and leave their “host” home of the coral reefs and take up residence in these “artificial homes” where it feels and is safer from predators. Today, sadly most of those two countries’ fish stocks are in drastic decline and hence are forced to look elsewhere for fish to feed their population and this is one reason why they have to come in our waters to fish illegally. I don’t take people’s livelihood or their way of life lightly, but nor can I stand idly by and see the demise of our fishing industry.the crawfish.
Mr Pinder, lives in what scientists call an “ecosystem” which basically means in the simplest term, a family living, breeding and working together to survive. When you set these condos, what happens is this “family cycle” is broken causing the demise of the other family members.
The crawfish comes out of its “natural” habitat and goes into these artificial habitats where it lives alone and you so correctly stated, “free from predators”, but sadly these are the laws of nature and we should not tamper with it but respect it.the crawfish depends on others to survive and others depend on them to survive. When a fisherman goes into the condo everything is taken because it is easy to get. If a fisherman goes into a coral reef, he, in the majority of circumstances, will not get everything, a few will escape capture and live to replenish the stocks. The crawfish eats shells (oysters) because they need the calcium in the shells to grow, the fish, crabs, etc, comes along and eats the “meat” from the shells, the nurse sharks and eels eat the “soft” crawfish, and I can go on with more examples, but I stop there.
This process doesn’t take place in the condos, hence not only the crawfish is affected, but the entire ecosystem in some direct or indirect way. Like you said, when you destroy the fishing industry, the tourism industry goes with it, but most important our livelihood goes with it too so it is incumbent upon me, you and others to start conserving now so that my children and your children can have something to look foreword to inheriting from us.
Like you said, sir, there are none so blind as those who do not want to see, because they are blinded by greed.
Wayne Neely, Letter To The Editor
