By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN fishermen have backed proposed legislation that would limit the amount of seafood foreign sports fishermen are allowed to retain, estimating that this nation’s fisheries sector is losing $3 million a week to thisl practice.

Bahamas Commercial Fishers Alliance (BCFA) president, Adrian LaRoda ,acknowledged that the issue was a “serious” and longstanding one.

“This is a serious issue we are going to bring attention to. A growing number of sports fishermen are making day trips from, say, South Florida, and have no regard for the catch limit or season. This is a problem which has gone on for far too long. These persons have carried on practically unchecked. Now it’s become such a problem it’s time to do something about it,” Mr LaRoda told Tribune Business.

The minister of agriculture and marine resources, V Alfred Gray, told Parliament last week that legislation was being drafted for presentation to Cabinet that would limit the amount of seafood foreign sports fishermen are allowed to retain.

Mr Gray said sports fishermen would be allowed to retain up to 20 pounds of seafood caught in the Bahamas without concern for the number of persons on a vessel.

Currently, each fisherman on board a boat is allowed to keep 20 pounds of product. “We are going to introduce legislation very shortly to limit the amount that foreign sports fishermen can take from our waters,” Mr Gray said.

“For far too long, people have come into our country under the guise of sports fishing and, Mr Speaker, they are taking much more than the law allows. We are going to put into the legislation where it used to be 20 pounds per person; we are going to reduce it 20 pounds per boat.

“If you have (multiple) persons on your boat you are still only going to be able to carry 20 pounds. What used to be a man amount will now be a boat amount. I am going to bring legislation to Cabinet shortly to ensure that happens. We have to protect what is ours.”

Backing those sentiments, Mr LaRoda said: “I believe that we should decrease the catch limit on sports fishing vessels. Our position is that we support that decrease, to per boat as opposed to per person.

“The Bahamas really gets no benefit as it stands now. These people come with their own supplies and their fuel, and they don’t spend any money on land.

“They usually come in on 40-foot boats, with about eight people on-board. An average trip will probably net $10,000-$15,000 worth of product. These boats make about three thrips a week and we estimate that there are about 50 boats coming in and doing this.

“We believe that we are losing $3 million a week, conservatively speaking.”

Mr Laroda said this practice was unlike that of boaters on cruising permits, who were generally less concerned with their catch and spent significant sums on land.

He added that the issue was one which would be dealt with under the revised fisheries regulations. “Those regulations are very important. We were involved in the drafting and final edit. We have been hoping that they would fast-track it,” Mr LaRoda said.