Commercial shark fishing in The Bahamas is prohibited

Amendment to protect sharks signed into law

KRYSTEL ROLLE
Guardian Staff Reporter
thenassauguardian
krystel@nasguard.com

Nassau, The Bahamas



An increase in the global demand for shark meat has prompted government officials to regulate the multi-million-dollar industry for the first time in Bahamian history.

Government officials yesterday signed into law an amendment aimed at protecting sharks that populate the more than 200,000 miles of Bahamian waters.

The Bahamas has long been considered one of the premier shark-watching destinations for divers.

According to statistics compiled by the Bahamas Diving Association, over the past two decades shark-related tourism has contributed more than $800 million to the Bahamian economy.

Yesterday morning an amendment was made to the Fisheries Resources Act that will now prohibit all commercial shark fishing in The Bahamas.

Agriculture and Marine Resources Minister Larry Cartwright said the new provision will permanently protect more than 40 species of shark in Bahamian waters.

“The Bahamas government has determined to enhance the protection extended to sharks found in Bahamian waters,” Cartwright said while speaking at the signing ceremony at the British Colonial Hilton yesterday morning.  “This is in keeping with the government’s commitment to pursue appropriate conservation measures and strategies in order to safeguard marine and terrestrial environment.  This also responds to concerns expressed by citizens and by local, international and non-governmental organizations to the Government of The Bahamas, calling for strengthened protection of sharks in The Bahamas.

“As we are all aware sharks are heavily fished in many of the world’s oceans and there is concern in many quarters that the current level of fishing including an increased level of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing cannot be sustained and will lead to the collapse of many shark stocks if we permit it.”

Under the 2011 amendment, commercial shark fishing as well as the import, export and sale of shark products are now prohibited.

But the amendment does allow for the recreational catch and release of sharks and the incidental catch and release of sharks by Bahamian citizens, assuming the subsequent sharks or shark products are not sold.

Cartwright said while the amendment took affect yesterday, it still has to be tabled in the House of Assembly.

Since 1993, Department of Fisheries officials have prohibited long line fishing – a move they insist helped maintain the region’s healthy shark population.

“The Bahamas’ prohibition on longline fishing gear 20 years ago protected the marine resources of The Bahamas and ensured that our shark populations would remain healthy,” said Eric Carey, executive director of the Bahamas National Trust (BNT).

“But there were no specific laws in The Bahamas for sharks, the crown jewels of ocean health. The new regulations will ensure that sharks can continue to thrive for generations in our waters, one of the world’s best places to see sharks.”

The effort to bring about shark regulations started last fall after a local seafood company expressed interest in the catching of sharks to meet the global demand for shark fin soup.

A collaboration between the PEW Environment Group and the BNT produced popular public service announcements and a petition that garnered more than 5,000 supporters.

Jill Hepp, manager of global shark conservation for the PEW Environment Group, said “[Tuesday’s] announcement permanently protects shark species in Bahamian waters. We applaud the people and Government of The Bahamas for being bold leaders in marine conservation.”

With the amendment, The Bahamas now joins Palau, the Maldives and Honduras in banning the commercial fishing of sharks.

It is estimated that commercial shark fishers kill up to 73 million sharks annually, mainly for their fins.

Jul 06, 2011

thenassauguardian

Bahamas: Government Ministers encouraged to adopt legislation to outlaw shark fishing in Bahamian waters

Government Ministers urged to protect sharks
By MEGAN REYNOLDS
Tribune Staff Reporter
mreynolds@tribunemedia.net


GOVERNMENT ministers were encouraged to adopt legislation to outlaw shark fishing at a breakfast briefing on shark conservation hosted by the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) yesterday morning.

Experts from the international non-profit organisation the Pew Environmental Group told Cabinet ministers how such legislation would not only ensure the health of the coral reefs and sustain vital fisheries, it would also continue to support the lucrative shark tourism industry as local populations are unmatched elsewhere in the Caribbean.

Director of global shark conservation for the Pew Environmental Group Matt Rand explained how shark populations are declining worldwide as 73 million a year are fished for their fins to be used in the Chinese delicacy shark fin soup.

“Because of this luxury item these creatures are being wiped off the planet,” Mr Rand said.

“The oceans have evolved for more than 400 million years with sharks and they never had predators.

“Suddenly the hunters have become the hunted, and we are taking that top predator out of the ecosystem and by doing that we are disrupting the whole marine balance. “For a country that depends on fishing, disrupting the marine balance could have severe consequences,” he said.

Sharks thrive in Bahamian waters by virtue of a long-line fishing ban imposed 20 years ago to prevent them from becoming by-catch – fish caught unintentionally.

Around 40 species of sharks are estimated to live in Bahamian waters.

Because of the healthy population The Bahamas has become known as “shark diving capital of the world” and attracts visitors to the tune of $78 million a year.

It has also supported 60 scientific research publications over the last 20 years, and allowed for a healthy marine environment.

Mr Rand said: “There are few locations where you can get in the water and see sharks, and you have defacto protection now, but not legislative protection.

“We think this would be a great opportunity, not only for the sharks, but also for The Bahamas.”

The Pew Environment Group has worked with governments around the world and was successful in Palau and the Maldives which have become sanctuaries for sharks.

Although sharks have never been targetted by the fishing industry in The Bahamas, the threat of international demand for shark fins was raised when sea cucumber export company Sunco Wholesale Seafood Ltd CEO James Mackey told The Tribune he would explore the possibility of shark finning from his operation in Mastic Point, North Andros for export to Hong Kong.

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Larry Cartwright reassured interested parties attending the event at the British Colonial Hilton yesterday that “the current policy of the government is to not allow for the export of shark fins, etcetera.”

However he did not indicate whether he would implement legislation to protect sharks as he commented on their multi-faceted importance for the marine ecosystem, tourism and scientific research.

“In this vein I applaud the efforts now being made by the BNT and others to protect sharks in the exclusive zone of The Bahamas,” Mr Cartwright said.

As apex predators, sharks feed on large fish, which in turn feed on herbivorous fish that control levels of algae on the reef.  Removing them from the equation could have an unprecedented impact on large fish, herbivorous fish and algae levels.  BNT president Neil McKinney said: “In this country it’s not just sharks, but the entire marine ecosystem that we need to try to protect, because if we break the web, or a link in the chain, there is a cascading effect.

“The loss of sharks would directly impact our coral reefs.  We have to protect what we have.  We cannot be a bread basket for the rest of the world and we have to be very careful so that it is here for generations after us.

“That is why there is a need for legislative protection, because policy can be changed much more easily than legislation.”

BNT executive director Eric Carey added: “A lot of times we advocate for issues when species are almost beyond recovery.  We have a good opportunity now to do something for sharks while they are still healthy in the Bahamas.”

To find out more and support the campaign click to see The Bahamas National Trust and The Pew Charitable Trusts websites.

November 10, 2010

tribune242

Bahamas: ...no law in place to govern shark harvesting

BAHAMAS:NO MARKET FOR COMMERICAL SHARK HARVESTING
By JASMIN BONIMY
Guardian Staff Reporter
jasmin@nasguard.com:


Amid calls for the government to enact legislation aimed at clamping down on shark fishing, officials at the Department of Marine Resources insist that policies are in place that strongly discourage commercial shark harvesting.

Director of Marine Resources Michael Braynen told The Nassau Guardian yesterday that despite recent reports in the media, there is no evidence indicating that there is a viable market for commercial shark or sea urchin harvesting.

While he admitted that there is no law in place to govern shark harvesting, Braynen said the Department of Fisheries adheres to a policy which in effect bans commercial shark fishing, and does not recommend applications for licenses to the Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources for shark meat or any shark products to be exported outside the country. The recommendations of the Marine Resources Department weigh highly in the decision making process, said Braynen.

In a joint release sent out over the weekend by the Bahamas Marine Exporters Association(BMEA)and the Bahamas Commercial Fishers Alliance(BCFA)the two organizations expressed their opposition to the commercial harvesting of both shark fins and sea urchins in Bahamian waters. The organizations added that they do not believe proper research has been conducted into the impact of the commercial trade of both marine species.

The Bahamas National Trust(BNT)has also highlighted the issue of shark fishing in The Bahamas in a release, which strongly opposed any type of shark finning or commercial shark fishing in The Bahamas.

"While there are no specific laws prohibiting fishing for sharks in The Bahamas, there is really no commercial fishery for sharks in The Bahamas,"said Braynen."As a consequence fishermen do not pursue them. Braynen also noted the absence of a viable market for sea urchin harvesting in The Bahamas.

"The policy being pursued by the Department of Marine Resources has for years not allowed the export of sharks of shark products from The Bahamas. So i think there is little concern for the establishment of a shark fin industry in The Bahamas."

Braynen said while shark harvesting is a major issue for countries in Asia where the shark fin trade is a major industry, he insisted that simply is not the case in The Bahamas.

Given the fact that shark meat is not a Bahamian delicacy, Braynen added that local fishermen focus their attention on big sale items like crawfish and conch.

As a result he said fishermen shy away from wasting their energy and resources to catch a product that is not profitable in the Bahamian market.

"The big selling item for sharks around the world is their fins, but we have no evidence that commercial shark fishing in The Bahamas would be sustainable,"he said.

"That is why we don't support the export of sharks. In effect that's one means for controlling and limiting the fishing of sharks in Bahamian waters. Fishermen would not be able to makemoney because the export market would be closed to them."

Braynen further added that long line fishing, the most common and popular practice used in commercial shark fishing, is banned in The Bahamas.

9/17/2010

thenassauguardian

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