By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net
Bahamians have gradually been squeezed out of the $142 million fly fishing industry by foreign “infiltration” over the past 20 years, reducing its impact on local businesses and job creation.
Benjamin Pratt,the Bahamian Fly Fishing Industry Association’s (BFFIA) executive director, said Bahamian participation in the sector had been made almost “non-competitive” despite its multi-million dollar annual economic impact.
The BFFIA, which was incorporated in 2012, is aiming to provide a voice for the industry and push for greater Bahamian participation. Mr Pratt said there was an urgent need to replenish the Bahamian bonefish guide population.
Speaking at the BFFIA’s first annual general meeting, Mr Pratt said: “A 2010 economic survey determined that the level of activity taking place in this sector is valued at some $142 million.
“We have a tremendous amount of natural resources. Fly fishing allows us as Bahamians to grow in this industry and do well in it. This industry is doing a tremendous amount of good for the Family Islands. This may be a $142 million industry, but a lot of that is probably not being received by local businesses.”
Mr Pratt added: “We are particularly interested in the protection of the industry for Bahamians. I say that because over the last 20 years we would have seen an infiltration of persons other than Bahamians who would have entered the market, and have been dominating it and have made Bahamian participation almost non-competitive.
“We are in the process of negotiating with the Ministry of Education with respect to conducting a cadet programme in the Family Islands. Young men who want to join the industry and become guides will be given the opportunity to do so.
“There is a need for us to replenish our guiding population, and the way to do it is to target youngsters in high school that have a potential for the industry.”
Mr Pratt said that there was a need for lodge owners and guides to refine their product and ensure they had the latest equipment.
“If you’re going to tell a guy you’re going to charge him $1,000 to go bonefishing, you can’t be breaking down on the road, your boat shouldn’t be breaking down, your trailer has to actually be able to roll,” he added.
“People are prepared to pay it, but you have to have working equipment. There is quite a disparity between those lodges that are owned by Bahamians and those that are owned by non-Bahamians, and that, I believe, contributes to the fact that they are getting more business than us.”
Mr Pratt said the Association was also looking to obtain duty-free concessions for imported equipment used by fly and bone fishing guides.
“We believe that the islands of the Bahamas are the best destination for fly fishing in the world,” Mr Pratt said.
“We sit on the broadest, most pristine flats anywhere else in the world; the shallow water, the mangroves and the warm weather allows us to have the biggest population of bonefish perhaps in the world. That is what people need to know and that is the message we’re going to put out there.”
Mr Pratt said the BFFIA would give an official voice to the industry and influence public policy relative to it.
He added that the industry has been allowed to develop without any kind of structure and accountability, and said the BFFIA was looking to establish a corporate office and increase its membership by 100 within the next year.
Its ultimate goal is to have a 300-strong membership within three years.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID