Amendment to protect sharks signed into law
KRYSTEL ROLLE
Guardian Staff Reporter
thenassauguardian
krystel@nasguard.com
Nassau, 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
An International Caribbean Online Log about the news and opinions in the Americas and World. This Caribbean Blog of global reach and appeal is maintained by Bahamian Blogger - Dennis Dames with all readers and subscribers in mind.
Showing posts with label shark fishing Bahamas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shark fishing Bahamas. Show all posts
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Saturday, September 18, 2010
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
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)