With the 2012 Crawfish Season now officially open, Assistant Superintendent of Fisheries Clement Campbell is reminding fishermen of the new rules and warned that they will be heavily enforced.
All fishermen are reminded that they must have least one measuring stick on their boat and possess their own diving permit, he said.
He also stressed that the RBDF will have an increased presence and officers will execute their duties to the fullest extent of the law as always.
The Fisheries official explained that no fisherman can use the diving permit of their boat captain or any other fisherman.
“The diving permit rule is exactly like that of those using a driver’s license; you cannot use someone else’s driver’s license and the same applies to the diving permit,” he said.
With over 100,000 square miles of ocean in The Bahamas, Campbell readily admits it is impossible to completely cover all of it, but the department is doing all it can to get the message out for the safety and wellbeing of everyone.
The new rules were put in place in 2011 and Campbell is reminding fishermen not to use compressors in less than 30 feet of water, pointing out that there are to be used in 30 to 60ft of water.
Rules have also been laid out for non-Bahamians during the Crawfish Season.
“A new policy implemented by the government states that no foreign national should have a compressor permit,” Campbell advised.
Campbell stressed that this particular rule was put in place to police foreign nationals in Bahamian waters. As for the size of the crawfish that allowed to be caught, the Fisheries official said it should be 5 1/2 inches.
Anything under that, he noted, should be released into the sea.
The season closes on March 31, giving fishermen eight months to follow all the rules and harvest crawfish, Campbell pointed out.
Anyone found in violation of the Fisheries laws during Crawfish Season can face fines starting at $1,500.
Source: Lededra Marche, The Freeport News
