The Tribune

• Association chief has 'no intention of paying' 11-fold jump
• Says 'nowhere else in the world' where fees rose so much
• Adds that '95% of fishermen are complaining' about rise

By NEIL HARTNELL

and YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporters

A senior fishermen yesterday asserted he has "no intention of paying" a more than eleven-fold increase in boat registration fees with the industry said to be ready to protest in Rawson Square over the hikes.

Keith Carroll, the National Fisheries Association's (NFA) president, told Tribune Business that the magnitude of the increase in first-time and annual renewals had hit the fishing industry "very, very hard" with the cost for his two 50 foot-plus fishing boats having jumped by more than 1,000 percent.

Suggesting that "there's nowhere else in the world" where fees have risen to this extent, he added that even increases in the 75-100 percent range would have been easier for Bahamian fishermen to absorb with multiple other permit and licence fees also rising.

And Paul Maillis, the National Fisheries Association's secretary, told this newspaper that fishermen have been discussing how they can take “appropriate measures” that will signal to the Government just how harmful the fee increases have been. He added that they are prepared to apply for official police permission to protest in front of Parliament if the Government does not reverse, or lessen, the fee rises.

Mr Maillis said he has also been informed by Sylvanus Petty, the North Eleuthera MP, that the latter was advised by Prime Minister Philip Davis KC to let as many fishermen know to “not pay the fees until such time as they have been adjusted".

However, there has been no formal or official announcement of this by the Government. And, with their licences and registrations having expired at year-end 2023, commercial boat owners must pay their renewal fees now.

"If you're used to paying, just with the small 20-foot dinghies, $20 you're now paying $700," Mr Carroll said. "My big fishing boats, I have one that is 55 feet and one that is 51 feet. It [the registration fee] went from $200 to $2,300. That's for boats anywhere between 50 and 70 feet, and it costs $125 for an inspection fee as well.

"I went from paying a total $400 to register my two fishing boats to $4,600. The price of lobster is down and we have to pay these higher fees. They [the Government] want us to pay it. They said they were going to look into it and change it, so we're waiting to see what they're going to do. The Prime Minister hasn't made an official statement yet.

"Some boats have paid it already. The guys in the Family Islands, I know some guys in Long Island have paid it, but I haven't paid it and have no intention of paying it. You cannot justify, in my situation going up over 1,000 percent, and for some 3,000 percent," he added.

"I acknowledge we were paying the old fees for a very long time, but if you want to increase it, increase it by 100 percent or 75 percent. People who have a boat they might use two to three times a year to go to the beach on Rose Island, if they had a 20-footer the fee has gone from $20 to $700. Anywhere between 35 feet and 50 feet has gone from $100 to $1,650.

"Ninety-five percent of the fishermen, probably 98 percent of the fishermen, are complaining about it everywhere you go. The price of lobster has dropped to $10 per pound, and the price of diesel fuel is between $5.50 and $6 per gallon. Some of the guys are making it, some are only paying their bills and some will probably go out of business."

Mr Carroll said the higher boat registration fees are kicking-in at a time when fishermen are having to also contend with Business Licence fee filings/payments and a multitude of other fee rises. He added that his "FDC", a fishing licence, had risen from $20 to $200, while permits for lobster trapping had increased from $10 to $50.

While the fishermen have written letters to the Government imploring it to change course over the boat registration fees, the NFA president said nothing concrete had been heard back although some MPs have suggested Prime Minister Philip Davis KC is "looking into it".

As to whether fishermen may protest, Mr Carroll added: "We're planning on doing something now, but half of the fishermen are at sea because lobster season is on now. The boats have gone out after Christmas, so we don't have as many people on land as we would like.

"We saw nothing about these fee increases until we read it in the paper. Nobody consulted us; nothing. We've had the bonefish guides in the Family Islands complaining. Some heard about this when they went to get their boats licensed a few days ago. A fisherman from South Andros called me saying they heard nothing about it until they went to get their boat licensed at the end of the year.

"As far as we're concerned, the fees still stand. A lot of boats are not going to register. I don't know what the Government is going to do about it. I don't think there's anywhere in the world that fees went up like this on boat registration. I don't think fees have gone up like this anywhere in the world. We'll see what happens."

Mr Maillis added: “We have a lot of friends in the Government, and a lot of them don’t agree with what’s happened. They are bearing the full brunt of our frustration when, in reality, these decisions happened at the Cabinet level and with financial officers and others who have no understanding of the maritime sector.

"All they saw were dollar signs, and they are so afraid to upset our foreign guests and frustrate our attempts to become a vessel registration hotspot that they have basically sacrificed us to achieve this end.”

The NFA secretary added that the Association and wider fisheries industry were never consulted over the increase in boat registration fees even though the Fisheries Act 2020 “speaks very clearly to the establishment of the National Fisheries stakeholder forum".

“We are viewing this as a blatant disregard for the law; for the policy that the Government has itself espoused and committed to follow, and we want there to be greater accountability," Mr Maillis added, pointing out that the fee increases “do not just impact high-end yachts, but small boaters who have vessels under 20 feet, too.

"A lot of fishermen use their boats for inter-island travel. They use them for subsistence fishing, they use it for semi-intensive commercial fishing," he continued, describing the magnitude of the fee hikes as “insane".

Mr Maillis said: “I’ve spoken to people in the insurance industry, and especially with these commercial vessel operators in the recreational sector, and they’re saying that the port fees are higher than it takes to have your vessel insured every year.

"That speaks to a level of insanity and incoherence that you can have your insurance policy be equal and, in some instances, lesser than it takes for your annual vessel registration.... Fishermen I have spoken to said that they would have been happy with a 100 percent increase, but to jump from $20 to $700 for a 20 foot vessel is utter insanity.”

Tavares LaRoda, the New Providence Port Authority’s chairman, previously told this newspaper that the increases to fees that have not been adjusted for two decades were designed to try and catch up with, but not exceed, inflation that has occurred over that period as the Government seeks to incentivise more boat owners to register their vessels in The Bahamas.

Outlining the Davis administration’s strategy, amid the outcry over both the first-time and annual registration fee increases, he argued that the hike in the former category was more than offset by the elimination of an effective 20 percent tax rate on boat owners importing their craft to The Bahamas for the first time via the removal of VAT and Customs duty.

As for the introduction of inspection fees, Mr LaRoda told this newspaper that The Bahamas had to introduce a mandatory annual check of all private craft because the present voluntary regime was simply incompatible with the well-regulated, blue chip image this nation has in the global maritime industry.

Confirming that the Authority is seeking to improve its services to boat owners, including facilitating registration applications online, he added that the turnaround time for most commercial vessel submissions has already been “drastically reduced” to 30 days or less in most instances.