The Tribune

STAFFORD Creek, North Andros – Deputy Prime Minister Philip Davis reaffirmed his government’s commitment to the non-profit Bahamas Sportfishing and Conservation Association and its efforts to restore creeks and in-land lakes throughout the Bahamas.

The BSCA has already begun to fulfil this mandate, starting with London Creek in North Andros.

Mr Davis said the government recognises the importance of Andros’ ecosystem as a natural nursery to numerous species of fish.

The creek is significant not only for the Bahamas, but also the whole Caribbean as well as the Gulf of Mexico.

Prescott Smith, owner of the Stafford Creek Fly-Fishing Lodge and co-founder with Joel Moxey of the BSCA, currently serves as its president.

Mr Smith expressed his appreciation to the deputy prime minister and the countless other persons who assisted the organisation’s progress over the last 12 years.

He noted that the BSCA has worked through both PLP and FNM administrations, giving it true non-partisan status – which he believes is one reason financial supporters have pledged significant funds to the organisation.

These include Perk Perkins, CEO of the Orvis Company, a US operation boasting nearly $300 million in sales of products such as fly-fishing rods and accessories, who has promised generous support for BSCA’s London Creek restoration.

Mr Perkins, who was present for a recent BSCA launch, has had a long association with the Bahamas, particularly with fly fishing operators in Andros.

“If we are going to benefit from our natural resources, we must be willing to take action to protect them,” he said.

Currently serving on the boards of the World Wildlife Fund, the Nature Conservancy of Montana, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Mr Perkins pointed out that many other countries in the world are requesting similar assistance from American companies such as his, but he choose to throw his company’s resources behind the BSCA because it is not a hard sell to his customers.

“When one comes to these sportfishing areas in Andros, one can see the ocean from the roadways and immediately fall in love with the idea of putting ones financial resources to the restoration project,” he said.