By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

FOREIGN Affairs Minister Darren Henfield admitted yesterday Dominican poachers continue to pillage Bahamian territorial waters despite efforts to discourage the practice in that country dating back to the former Christie administration, but insisted the government’s relationship with the republic is “firm and strong”.

He expressed confidence the Bahamian government’s message is resonating with these foreign officials, noting the latest detention of 124 Dominican fishermen and their “motherships” was a collaborative effort, an historic first.

While, he said, this is a sign the government is making progress, the minister encouraged Bahamian fishermen to call the relevant authorities at the sight of Dominican vessels on the high seas rather than engaging them.

His comments came as 124 Dominican fishermen were brought into the Coral Harbour Defence Force Base and then taken to the Carmichael Road Detention Centre after they fired upon marines at sea. What appeared to be thousands of pounds of fish and lobster was found on the three vessels, which were also brought to the capital yesterday.

“I believe our relationship with the Dominican Republic is firm and strong,” he said. “We have done things in the past. Formerly, the foreign minister who was in office just before me (Fred Mitchell) led a delegation to the Dominican Republic with ministerial colleagues and other technocrats to discuss this very issue of Dominican fishing in Bahamian territorial waters.

“We had a good response then and we met yesterday with a technical team, a committee designed to continue with these discussions. We have been engaged with the Dominican Republic since coming to office. I myself have met with the Dominican foreign minister in bilateral meetings and international meetings that we attend where we discuss how do we continue.

“In the previous version the minister came away with some firm agreements from the Dominican Republic which encouraged us.

“Some of these issues were that navy to navy, the defence force and the Dominican navy would talk and be able to cooperate in these instances that communications would be made locally in the Dominican Republic touting the dangers and illegality associated with fishing in Bahamian territorial waters and that even as it relates to trade of our fisheries resources with the Dominican Republic, which surely is a need of marine resources that we could make some agreements in that regard, and we look to build upon those talks and solidify what we would think to be a relationship between ourselves, Cuba and the Dominican Republic that would mitigate and ameliorate these circumstances of Dominicans fishing in Bahamian waters and then drifting in to Cuba.”

Asked if he was confident the government’s message was hitting home with Dominican officials, he said: “I think the confidence that our message is hitting home is the fact that we were able to have assistance in this arrest with the Cuban government. That is very important that the Cuban ambassador, my director general, myself and the Cuban foreign minister were in conversations all day Saturday and working out the details of how we would continue the pursuit from Bahamian waters into Cuban territorial space. I think at the end of the day, it all bodes well because we have been able for the first time in the history of the Bahamas to have three Dominican vessels. You know earlier this year we had a smaller vessel handed over to us after an arrest of a Dominican poaching vessel in our waters.”

He continued: “But this is tremendous. I think as it relates to diplomacy and the efforts of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force who has a firm relationship with the Cuban border guard who are able to call them and say, ‘we have some poachers heading your way can you intercept and help us to bring these people to justice?’

“So we continue with the diplomatic channels. We continue to keep the wires open and that’s the best we can hope for and we continue to enforce in our borders. We continue to stay on guard to protect the sovereign integrity of the Bahamas, that’s what we’re doing,” the minister said.