The following is a press statement by the Abaco Fly Fishing Guides Association (AFFGA):
Most Bahamians are unaware of new government regulations that will be effective on January 9, 2017. The AFFGA would like to share our thoughts with the public regarding the flats fishing regulation.
How the fly fishing regulation will directly affect Bahamians:
Only Bahamian Citizens will qualify for a Guide License
Bahamians must purchase a personal angler license to fish for bonefish
Only one bonefish may be kept for personal consumption
Bahamians must hire a guide to fish from a boat on the flats
Fishing is the main force that encourages this economic benefit to our country and yet the Minister has written regulation that will be harmful to the economy and the Bahamian people by promulgating the objectives of the Bahamas Fly Fishing Industry Association to limit our visitors’ ability to flats fish unless they hire a certified Bahamian guide.
According to the same study, 90% of angler’s only chose to visit The Bahamas in order to fish and would not visit or invest in this country if they could not fish.
Rather than welcome all fishing visitors parts of this regulation restrict anglers from practicing sustainable fishing that does no harm to the fishery thus greatly reducing the economic benefits of flats fishing for The Bahamas economy.
There are two things we all agree on. A flats fishing license should be required for anglers and Motherships (floating foreign fishing lodges) should be banned from The Bahamas.
Most of the regulation is unnecessary and does nothing for sustainable development of the fly fishing sector. The three major threats to the fishery are habitat loss, degradation of the water and illegal netting. This regulation does nothing to address two of these threats. Netting bonefish has been illegal for many years but the law is rarely enforced. The guides already practice ‘Catch & Release’ fishing and also utilize ‘Best Practices’ for fish handling to ensure the best chance of survival for the fish. Only Bahamians eat bonefish and this regulation still allows them to take one fish. Every other fishery in The Bahamas is a kill fishery and yet are minimally regulated and require no personal licensing or guide licensing. Because of the Bahamas Fly Fishing Industry Association’s skewed input the flats fishing sector is being unfairly targeted with these draconian regulations and penalties.
Half of the licensing fee is to go to a Conservation Fund that remains a vague concept. This is the most important part of the regulation and must be used for flats conservation to further protect the fishery.
A license can only be obtained after an application is submitted and payment is made whether online or in person at the Administrators office. This should be sufficient for licensing. The added burden, required by regulation, of having the license stamped at a port of entry is a bureaucratic overlay this is unwelcoming and unnecessary.
The new regulations are not even posted on the government web-site yet so most stakeholders remain unaware of the pending legislation that is to come into effect with only 4 days’ notice. Enacting the personal license requirement before the electronic licensing mechanism is ready is disappointing and leads to yet more confusion and difficulty in implementing this new scheme. Springing this on the public without warning feels much like the back-room preparation of the 1st draft that was thrust onto stakeholders with disastrous economic consequences and harm to the reputation of the Bahamas as a fish-friendly tourist destination.
