By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Fly Fishing Industry Association’s (BFFIA) annual general meeting (AGM) has been slammed as a “disaster” and a “dog and pony show”, with one group telling Tribune Business it no longer recognizes it as the industry’s voice.

Abaco’s Fly Fishing Guides Association (AFFGA) is alleging that elections for the BFFIA’s Board were “railroaded” by its existing members, who controlled the AGM agenda to ensure votes were only taken late on Thursday afternoon – after many members had to depart for a flight back to their home islands.

This, though, has been denied by the elected Board members (see other Article on Page 1), but the Abaco group’s version of events was supported by an “incensed” Benjamin Pratt, the Ministry of Tourism’s fly fishing specialist.

Mr Pratt, who was present at the AGM, warned that the BFFIA infighting threatened to “derail” a 2015 that many in the industry had described as the best year since pre-recession 2008.

The AGM fall-out thus threatens to deepen divisions created over the Government’s proposed new regulatory regime for the fly fishing sector, which has created major controversy both in the Bahamas and abroad.

Cindy Pinder, the Abaco Association’s vice-president and secretary, told Tribune Business that a “very small” faction within the BFFIA was pressing for the regulations that have set off a firestorm within the industry.

At the centre of the controversy is the proposed requirement that all visiting fly fishermen, even experts coming to the Bahamas for decades, have to hire a local guide at a cost of $600 per day, along with stricter definitions for foreigner anglers and foreign-owned bone fishing lodges. Tourism stakeholders are especially concerned that the planned changes to the Fisheries Resources (Jurisdiction and Conservation) Act and accompanying regulations will create more ‘red tape’ and price the Bahamas out of the market.

The Ministry of Tourism now appears to be intervening amid the controversy, its minister pledging that he will speak to V Alfred Gray, minister of agriculture and marine resources, on the proposed reforms.

Obie Wilchcombe told Tribune Business simply: “We are receiving the views of many and will discuss with Minister Gray.”

Mrs Pinder, meanwhile, told Tribune Business: “There are a very small group of people pressing this; very, very small. The purpose of the AGM was to elect a new board, but the present leadership of the BFFIA had no intention of letting that happen.

“They failed to take a vote on resolutions that had been seconded, and railroaded the membership through the whole meeting. They followed their agenda to the detriment of the members. They would not allow a vote be taken early in the day. The meeting was scheduled from 11am until 4pm, and many of us got on airplanes and left then.

‘When I got back to Abaco, driving on my way home at 6.45pm, and called a friend in Nassau, they were still voting. Probably 75 per cent of the membership left because they had airline reservations,” Mrs Pinder added.

“As a group we do not acknowledge the BFFIA as the voice of the fly fishing industry. In fact, we disagree with anything they say or do. The AGM was a circus. It was a dog and pony show. It was a disaster.”

Tribune Business understands that the meeting was moderated by the BFFIA’s attorney, Keod Smith.

Mrs Pinder said the Abaco association would be back in Nassau to express their views during the scheduled four-hour consultation set for today.

“Hopefully the department will issue a statement to calm down the visitors and calm down the fishermen, because the Bahamas is being seen in a really bad light right now -and not just by the foreigners,” said Mrs Pinder.

The main criticisms over the Act and accompanying regulations are that the consultation period has been too short; the fees and processes for obtaining fishing licences are inflexible and overly bureaucratic; that the ‘red tape’ and extra costs will make the Bahamas uncompetitive and send anglers elsewhere; and that while everyone acknowledges the need to conserve this nation’s natural resources and ensure Bahamians get a ‘fair piece of the economic pie’, the reforms appear too protectionist.

Justin Sands , the Abaco Fly Fishing Guide Association’s president, told Tribune Business: “The meeting (AGM), in my opinion, was deliberately drawn out so that not everybody would get a chance to vote. The majority of the persons that flew into Nassau for the meeting had return flights in the afternoon and had to leave.

“There were approximately 250 persons in attendance. I was told at the airport by another Board member, just before I boarded my flight back to Abaco, that at the time he left the meeting there were only about 30 members left in the room to participate in voting.

“The actual voting had not even started at that time. The meeting was initially run by the president, but most questions from members were answered by Keod Smith, counsel for the BFFIA. I, along with three other members, put forth a resolution to move the voting forward so all members would have a chance to participate in the voting process. The resolution was seconded by another member but was never put to a vote.”

Greg Vincent, proprietor of H2O Bonefishing on Grand Bahama, told Tribune Business that while there were some positives in the proposed regulations, there were also controversial issues that need to be addressed.

“There is some good in there, some things that are noteworthy that we can move forward with,” he added. “There are also some controversial issues that need to be addressed and clarified.

“Overall I think there is some positive. I think we can resolve this. If we bring all the stakeholders to the table and all are allowed to be heard, I think we can resolve this.”

Mr Vincent said a vote for a new Board was part of the BFFIA AGM agenda, but his company was excluded from that process.

“We were not to afforded a vote in that process. We don’t know why we were excluded from that process, even though we are members,” he added. “We are aware that there are several others who were not afforded a vote and it wasn’t 100 per cent clear why.”

Mr Pratt, one of the original members of the steering committee which founded the BFFIA, said he was furious that such deep divisions had been allowed to develop between various factions within the Association.

“My plea to the leadership of the organisation was that they resist the temptation to suppress the rights of members to vote, and allow those with opposing vices to be heard,” he told Tribune Business.

“My response was triggered following Abaco member, Justin Sands’, motion to the chair to move the voting exercise upwards from its next to last position on the meeting agenda, as many delegates needed to return to the airport before 3pm for returned flights home. Although seconded by another member, this motion was never put to the floor for a vote, and the agenda continued as planned.”

Mr Pratt added: “As one of the original members of the steering committee which founded the BFFIA and spearheaded its launch in 2013, I became incensed that such deep divisions have been allowed to occur between various factions within the BFFIA.

“The organisation was founded on the principle that it would represent the interest of all industry stakeholders. It is first and foremost a ‘trade’ association, and not a ‘guides only’ organisation.”

“My appeal for unity was based on the fact that many guides and lodge operators had informed me that this year represented the best season experienced since the economic recession of 2008. The industry was finally beginning to experience a new resurgence, which I strongly expressed could be derailed by infighting, controversy and rumors of instability within the sector,” Mr Pratt continued.

“The bottom line is, not withstanding my warning, many members of the Bahamas Fly Fishing Industry Association from Abaco, Grand Bahama and other islands were not allowed to vote before having to leave the meeting. Those impacted by this undemocratic action have vowed not to renew their membership in the association, and international industry partners, as well as observers, are now moving with haste to disassociate themselves from the BFFIA, just as I predicted that they would.”

Mr Pratt emphasized that unity among all industry stakeholders was essential. “The fly fishing industry is dynamic. Like a well-oiled machine, it has a number of moving parts which must move in harmony with each other,” he explained.

“Failure on the part of any stakeholder to move in harmony with others will result in broken relations and overall lack of success. Therefore, unity between all stakeholders in the fly fishing sector as equal partners is essential.”