The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I spent a weekend evening at Fish Fry recently and I was taken aback by the health and safety concerns that are present at the fry. Notwithstanding these concerns Fish Fry has evolved into a cultural centre which offers authentic native Bahamian foods and drinks. It is the most popular recreational spot for Bahamians to hang-out, chill and taste incredible Bahamian foods such as conch salad and conch fritters, fish served in multiple ways and to enjoy cold drinks. As such, more attention and effort ought to be paid in improving the decor and environment of this Bahamian cultural hub.

Fish fry was developed in the late 1980s after an episode of conch poisoning on Potters Cay dock, the original popular spot. Several vendors at Potters Cay relocated to Arawak Cay as a result of the conch poisoning episode in the late 1980’s that had greatly impacted their earnings at Potters Cay.

In 1994 the Arawak Cay Conch, Fish, vegetable and Food Vendors Association was established. The association was formed to set and maintain standards for food vendors at Arawak Cay and to advocate on behalf of vendors for improved conditions. In 2002 leases were granted to the vendors for their premises at Fish Fry. The leases facilitated the construction of multiple level buildings and the start of indoor dining. For the most part these buildings were not approved by the Town Planning Authority and most did not have bathrooms.

Many of the buildings at Arawak Cay were sublet to third parties, many of whom were non-Bahamians, which I believe is illegal as such activities are reserved exclusively for Bahamians. This absentee ownership has in my opinion contributed to the lowering of health standards at the fry. Moreover, many of the sub lessees or operators of the fish fry buildings rented out portions of the buildings to conch salad vendors many of whom again are non Bahamians and most of whom do not have potable water.

Fish Fry is managed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources and this government agency has overall responsibility for facilities at Arawak Cay. It is a pity that Fish Fry was allowed to develop so haphazardly. Structures were permitted to be constructed without the necessary safety and health procedures. This endangers the health of all patrons. It is now time for the agency responsible for Fish Fry to develop and enforce proper regulations to govern the activities at Arawak Cay.

The most egregious criticism of the fish fry I have and heard about is the condition of or more accurately the absence of bathroom facilities. There are two public bathroom facilities at fish fry, one on the western end and the other located next to the police premises. The one adjacent to the police has been out of service for at least five months and the other at the western end has been out of service for a number of years dating back before the COVID pandemic. This is unacceptable and poses definite health risks as the patrons mostly use the outdoors to relieve themselves of everything.

How hard could it be to correct whatever the problems are in the public not having use of the bathrooms? Whether the problems are related to poor equipment or the absence of a maintenance schedule or whether there is a drainage issue these have to be addressed immediately. We, the public, deserve better.

I have seen scores of patrons both Bahamians and tourists on long lines waiting to use the portable toilets that have been brought in. This is a poor substitute and should not be tolerated as a prolonged remedy. Again this is not the standard we expect.

It appears to me that in the absence of any clear regulations from the central government the Royal Bahamas Police Force has taken it upon itself to mandate terms on the fry. I understand that it is a police mandate that Fish Fry is forced to close at 12 midnight. The fry being the cultural hub that it is ought to be open until at least 2am if only on weekends. The arbitrary 12 midnight closure time may be as the result of a lack of sufficient police manpower at the fry. If it is, the Commissioner of Police must ensure that Fish Fry is adequately staffed. At times there are thousands of patrons at the fry and the number of police assigned to keep the peace during these times seems inadequate to me.

There has already been a travel advisory in 2018 by the US State Department advising US citizens to stay clear of Arawak Cay at nights. These foreign advisories seem to be the only warnings that Bahamian officials respect or react to. This is shameful! The government needs to act now to protect the world renowned cultural phenomenon that is Fish Fry and its patrons.

Bahamians have invested heavily in making the fish fry at Arawak Cay a cultural and national attraction. The government has also invested heavily in making the remainder of Arawak Cay located to the north east of Fish Fry a viable venue for the cultural expression for artisans, Junkanoo and the arts and craft. At the very least they ought to develop regulations that will encourage and facilitate these cultural expressions.

MAURICE TYNES

Nassau,

March 7, 2022.