By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net
The Bahamas was yesterday labelled “the laughing stock” of the fly fishing industry, with one local captain and fishing guide revealing his business has declined 50 per cent over the past year.
Captain Tom Albury, founder of Ondaflycharters, told Tribune Business that the Bahamas was losing its fly fishing business to countries such as Cuba, Belize and Mexico, having done itself no favours with the new regulations.
“Cuba is killing us. We have a lot of stepping up to do. Places like Cuba, Mexico and Belize are eating our lunch,” said Captain Albury.
“We’re the laughing stock of the fly fishing industry within the world right now. I have seen my business go down 50 per cent in the past year.”
He added: “Right now there is a mass exodus of people that don’t want to come to the Bahamas. Last January, I had almost 23 trips. I got calls for two trips this January, and neither one panned out.
“As independent guides we were starting to feel the slowdown since March last year. The lodges weren’t feeling the slowdown because most of them were booked a year out. Now they are starting to feel what we felt. Some of those lodges are now down 35-45 per cent year-to-date. You do that across the rest of the year and it might be a pretty shabby year.”
The new fly fishing regulations came into effect on Monday. They require anglers above the age of 12, and who wish to fish in the flats, to apply for a personal angler’s license and pay a set fee.
Non-Bahamians will have to pay $15 for a daily license; $20 for a weekly license; $30 for a monthly license; and $60 for an annual license.
The regulations also require a foreign vessel wishing to fish in the Bahamian flats to obtain the usual sports fishing permit, with each person on the vessel also holding a personal license.
The regulations also ban commercial fishing in the flats. Anglers are only allowed to catch and release when catching bonefish, permit, snook, cobia and tarpon. And a Conservation Fund for the management and protection of the flats and fisheries resources in the Bahamas will be established.
As reported by Tribune Business, when the proposed regulations were first unveiled, they created considerable controversy and effectively a divide between the 400 local guides and the lodge owners.
Despite the controversy, Bahamas Fy Fishing Industry Association (BFFIA) president, Prescott Smith, in a recent Tribune Business interview described the regulations “one of the biggest pieces of legislation to come about since 1967”, arguing that “closing the loopholes” will increase foreign currency earnings for Bahamians.
But Mr Albury told Tribune Business: “I don’t think anyone is against licensing or that sort of thing, but the enforcement is horrible.
“If we can’t enforce things, then don’t make us the laughing stock of the world. It’s absurd. In Abaco alone you’d need at least 10 boats and 10 officers. With the state of our economy that is not going to happen.”
Comments
jomofro 7 years, 3 months ago
Visitors like myself have no problem with the required licenses and we all agree that 'motherships' with foreign guides should be banned.
What this article fails to mention is that under the new regulations: 1. Foreign boats can no longer fish the flats without a guide ($$$). 2. Bahamian registered boats can no longer fish the flats with more than 1 person on board, unless a guide ($$$) is hired.
Violating either of these new provisions can result in spending your vacation in a Bahamian jail. Does this sound visitor friendly? This is what is choking the industry and hurting independent guides, as well as the small businesses that would normally see business from visitors like my family and me.
DiverBelow 7 years, 3 months ago
I love The Bahamas, love to fish there by walking the flats off the shore. Now Florida & elsewhere are calling me back. Only need $20 worth of permits, within the limits can do it all day, everyday for a year! No hassles! No problem.
The_Oracle 7 years, 3 months ago
The Guide per boat regulation is the garbage in the legislation.
DillyTree 7 years, 3 months ago
As a Bahamian, I think the guide regulations are idiotic -- even Bahamian registered boats must have a guide if more than one person on board. It's ludicrous! Well done, Bahamas government, not only have you managed to get us downgraded to junk status, but you've also killed off a large segment of the tourism industry. Did you even stop to think how much these valuable visitors bring to the Bahamas by using hotels, restaurants, rental cars, etc.?
No one is complaining about having to get a license - in fact, that's pretty standard around the world. But the mandatory guide part is clearly intended as special interest and only benefits a few guides!
In fact, why doesn't the government spend some energy in ENFORCING the law as it sits. For years now, despite many complaints, local Bahamians have been netting bonefish on the flats to use for food or bait. This has long been ILLEGAL in the Bahamas, yet no one gives a damn about this. We're all too quick to blame the foreigners for our troubles, but I think we need to take a hard look at ourselves before we start pointing fingers.
banker 7 years, 3 months ago
That's called protectionism and is as bad as requiring a BICA accountant for any business that wants to move here. It stifles rather than promotes.
MonkeeDoo 7 years, 3 months ago
This is their in the PLP death rhroes. It like Obamacare will be repealed.
Porcupine 7 years, 3 months ago
Xenophobia at its best. Bahamians need to do more than march. They need to throw off the shackles of their own small minded government. Time for a big change. Here on Andros, the only thing the central government has done is to suck our resources and money dry giving us nothing but words in exchange. The entire central government is worthless.
OMG 7 years, 3 months ago
If anyone believes that permit fees collected will go into a special fund then they must be on drugs. Remember the notice posted in customs offices for public viewing " from day one of VAT implementation the government of the Bahamas will start to pay down the national debt". National debt has increased in spite of record tax collection including VAT.
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