Published On:Thursday, March 04, 2010

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

FREEPORT - The commercial fishing of Yellow-fin Tuna using purse seine nets in Bahamian waters poses too great a risk for the Bahamas, fisheries conservationist Dr David Philip warned.

He is urging the government not to permit the use of this technique - in which, he says, large game fish, dolphins, sea turtles, and other species are likely to be caught and killed along with the tuna in the large nets. "This is a huge issue and the Bahamas should take leadership and stand to be leaders in this manner and say no to this kind of fishing," said Dr Philips, a representative of the Fisheries Conservation Foundation. The government has already said it plans to outlaw the method, but has failed to say when. This is cause for concern among conservationists in light of reports that one Freeport company's request to use purse seine nets is about to be approved.

Dr Philip attended a town meeting on Monday evening at the Bahamas National Trust's Rand Nature Centre in Freeport to stress his opposition to the venture, which has been proposed by Paul and David Mellor of the Bahamas Pelagic Fisheries and Aquaculture Limited. The Mellors say that while they plan to harvest tuna, they also want to create a tuna farm to replenish the stock and prevent over-fishing. They have acquired a vessel and are still waiting for a permit.

The plan has evoked strong opposition from Grand Bahama residents, some local fishermen, environmentalists and conservationists.

Dr Philips said tuna is already over-fished, and the species' ability to reproduce is being severely compromised.

"Adding to that will further exacerbate the problem, particularly with the fact that there may be fish spawning right here in the Tongue of the Ocean," he said.

The Mellors say that any other fish caught with the tuna will be released, but Dr Philip insists that "if harvested that way, those fish will be killed."

He added that major sport fish species like Marlin, Wahoo and Sailfish school with tuna, as do sea turtles and dolphins.

According to Dr Philip, sportsfishing injects $134 million a year into the economy.

"That will be put at risk if there is even the perception that the Bahamas is going to allow this kind of fishing . . . and the fallout from that will be huge," he said.

"The reality is that very few people will reap financial benefits from this operation. All of the high end jobs and scientists will be foreign . . . and the number of people employed, compared to the sports fishing industry that employs thousands and thousands of people, is a drop in the bucket.

"What we are doing is mortgaging our future. We are eating the fish of the future and we are eating our kids' fish.

"These fish are not going to pop back in a matter of a few years; it will take generations of laying off these fish to do that," he said.

Craig Riker, president of the Grand Bahama Dive Association, says no one wins with purse seine fishing. "If you take the big fish out of the ocean, what fills its place is jellyfish. Jellyfish eat baby fish and fish eggs, and even if you leave some fish to breed they can't because the jellyfish get them.

"Once that happens there is very little chance of getting fish back. It is a very dangerous slope to jump off," he said. Meanwhile, David Mellor assured the meeting that the operation would be "transparent", and allow for an observer onboard to make sure the capture of other species remains at a minimum. He pointed out that they have also encouraged the Department of Fisheries to become a member of the International Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICAT).

"They have the scientists who know how to regulate tuna species and whatever they say we are more than happy to follow," said Mr Mellor.