By ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) yesterday said it has yet to sight a Dominican vessel that Bahamian fishermen have accused of poaching in this nation’s waters.

A widely-circulated video is said by some fisherman to show the vessel intruding in Bahamian territorial waters. While Tribune Business was unable to confirm if the vessel in the video is of Dominican origin, the RBDF confirmed that while it has received reports of its presence the ship has yet to be located.

“On September 23, 2025, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force received reports of a suspected Dominican fishing vessel in Bahamian waters,” the Defence Force said in a statement. “An RBDF vessel on patrol was diverted to investigate the matter immediately. At this time, no vessels have been sighted. However, active patrols are continuing in the area.”

The video and reports surfaced following Captain Floyd Moxey’s announcement that the Defence Force has seen a rise in illegal fishing practices from North American fisherman. He added that the Defence Force is focusing on the Great Bahama Bank and the northern Bahamas, noting that it will “deal with Dominican poachers as well”.

“We are basically focused on the Great Bahama Bank, and we realised that we have illegal fishing by fishermen out of North America. We are focusing on that in the northern Bahamas as well,” Captain Moxey said.

“And so our operation was conducted last week with the Marine Resources Department and WildAid, and that was successful in interdicting some fishermen out of North America. And that is what we will continue to do. And we will continue to up our ante on the Great Bahama Bank to deal with Dominican poachers as well.”

Keith Carroll, the National Fisheries Association’s (NFA) president, applauding the work done in ‘Operation Red Dawn Two’, where three persons were arrested for illegal commercial fishing and charter operations, noted that the Dominicans, especially in the south, pose the biggest threat to Bahamian fisheries.

“Really and truly, the majority of fishermen fish in the southern Bahamas,” Mr Carroll said. “And that’s where the Dominicans have started to take over again. So we need more presence down there. I know the Defence Force was down there, but apparently they’re not seeing these boats.

“The Government allowed Dominicans to fish on Bahamian vessels. All Bahamian boats now have Starlink phones on them. So Dominicans can find out where the Defence Force boats are and call their friends or their cousins or the family on the poaching boats and tell them where to go, where not to go, when to come and when not to come, because they are here. They’re fishing on our boats, and that’s a big problem.

“They’re posing a threat. They come out here, and they probably were sport fishing. But our biggest problem, and you can call any fisherman in The Bahamas, is the same Dominicans that we had stopped about three or four years ago. They are back here because they can get information from their brothers, cousins or whoever is on these Bahamian fishing boats.”

Paul Maillis, the NFA’s secretary, added: “Large-scale Dominican poaching resumed in the southern Bahamas from a year ago, and this lobster season there’s been reports of poaching taking place heavily in the southern Bahamas.”

He added that a Bahamian commercial fishermen, on Tuesday evening, reported to the Defence Force the presence of a large Dominican ‘mother ship’ vessel that was anchored five miles “off the edge” of Cay Lobos. It was said to be supported by “dozens of dinghies swarming over the banks” containing Dominican fishermen armed with firearms and spear guns.