Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has promised a crackdown on foreign fishermen who are poaching in Bahamian waters.
Mr Ingraham, along with Defence Force Commodore Roderick Bowe and Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette attended a town meeting in Spanish Wells where fishermen made it clear that if govermment doesn’t do something, they will take matters into their own hands.
Ingraham, noting the importance of fishing in The Bahamas, told the group that part of the problem is Bahamian women conducting sham marriages to foreigners and Bahamian boats hiring foreign employees.
“The Deputy PM is here, he is the Minister of Immigration. I have asked them for a list of all the permits for all foreigners on all boats in the Bahamas which he has now sent me, and I will send them something back very soon on that issue. We expect to reduce substantially the number of foreigners who have any kind of permits on these boats – but that ain’t ga stop them from getting these ‘quickie marriages’ now.
“But for the actual work permits, to work on these boats or the compressors they use to get all these conchs will be reduced substantially,” he said.
