The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

A Cabinet minister yesterday pledged the Government will "spare no effort" in seeking out the owners of vessels found poaching in Bahamian waters, adding that winning the fight was "not about just talking strong but action".

Michael Pintard, minister of agriculture and marine resources, told Parliament: "We are committed to pursuing diligently, both home and abroad, the owners of these vessels, some of whom may be Americans, Dominicans and, quite possibly, Bahamians.

"We will investigate, and will spare no effort to do so. There is a call that a number of these vessels held be sunk to make reefs in Bahamian waters. We also wish to say that there is also a need for vessels for scientific research purposes, and BAMSI has made a petition to Cabinet to utilise if only a couple of them for training purposes. There is no intention to allow these vessels to get back in the hands of fishers."

Mr Pintard also warned of greater restrictions over compressor permits. "Persons who have requests for compressor permits at the ministry. you have applied at the very wrong time," he added.

"It is very difficult to find a good rationale at this time to continue the process of these work permits. We are prepared, obviously, where an application is made to evaluate on a case-by-case basis. The cases I have seen recently do not look good."

Mr Pintard told Tribune Business that the Government was looking to plug "loopholes" with regards to labour certificates, work permits and requests for compressor permits. "We want to reduce the possibility of persons working in our country who may not have this country's welfare at heart. We support the fishers we have together," he said.

Mr Pintard also warned against establishing a "moving goal post" in addressing the poaching issue. "The call was made for fines to be hefty. The course delivered a remarkable set of fines, somewhere in the vicinity of $2m, some rounded off to $3m," he said. "That created enthusiasm for a few days before persons went back on the war path.

"This cannot be a moving goal post. Progress is being made. Are we there yet? No, but are we making progress, yes. People continue to talk as if nothing is occurring but we must be measured and reasonable. This is not just a fishers problem only, this is our problem as a people."

Mr Pintard added that the Government is taking a systematic approach to the situation. "We are looking at border protection. We are amending the Fisheries Act with a view to doing a number of things, such as increasing the penalty for offenders and having strict guidelines for the size and species of marine products. Winning in this fight is not simply about just talking strong but also about acting in a strong way," he added.