The company was accused of misleading government officials into giving away free Marine Resource Collection permits. According to The Chicago Sun-Times online edition, divers wielding hand nets and fishermen using barbless hooks, snagged tropical fish from Bahamian waters, in a bid to get back the 10,000 animals that died when Hurricane Katrina ravished the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans. Senior Officer Roland Albury at The Department of Fisheries said, the company never told them how many animals they wanted and for what reason.
“Looking at the letter they sent in 2005 from Mr John Hewitt, he never mentioned that they were looking to restock their aquarium in New Orleans,” Mr Albury said. “Maybe we should have assumed that . But it was very misleading the way they did that.”
He added that the letter only indicated that the specimen collected would be used for “public education and exhibition.”
Mr Albury explained that The Shedd used manpower and its 80-foot-long Miami-based research vessel, the Coral Reef II, for the fishing expedition. He added that the team of divers and fishermen made the catch in waters in Bimini, The Berry Islands and North Andros and snagged queen angel fish, black durgon trigger fish, young barracudas, butterfly fish, balloon fish, yellowtail snapper, goat fish, trumpet fish, bone fish and some invertebrates like sea urchins.
He said although the permits are freely issued to people wanting to fish in Bahamian waters, the country does not benefit from the ventures. He explained that for years, the government has allowed people to sail to The Bahamas for research and sports fishing purposes, while the country saw no profit from these expeditions. The only thing that might happen, he said, is “we might get mentioned on some fish tank somewhere, saying that the animals came from The Bahamas.”
The fisheries official told The Guardian that there are other companies that apply for the permits, but “its usually for a small amount of animals.” In this case, Mr Albury added, they never thought such a “sizeable amount” would be taken.
Environmentalist Sam Duncombe said, we should not be allowing the collection of our fish because they play a vital role in the ecosystem.
By: IANTHIA SMITH, The Nassau Guardian
