The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business

Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

A Bahamian fisherman yesterday said crawfish catches are the “largest I have seen in 20 years”, with international certification having helped to boost prices 40 percent above pre-COVID levels.

Keith Carroll, the National Fisheries Association’s (NFA) president, told Tribune Business that crawfish prices have gone up as high as $21.50 per pound, as opposed to $15 per pound in 2019, which some believe was the previous record year.

This represents a 43.3 percent increase, and Mr Carroll said: “In 2019 it started to go up because The Bahamas was certified by the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council). When they gave us approval this allowed fishermen to ship crawfish all over the world.

“They don’t have to choose to ship their crawfish to America first, but they can ship all the way to Australia and go straight to the source. So being certified by MSC has opened up a lot of markets for craw-fishermen.”

The sharp decline in illegal foreign poaching is also boosting the catch sizes that Bahamian fishermen are getting this year. “The size of the catch is the largest I have seen in the last 20 years. The amount of crawfish these boys are bringing back is amazing,” Mr Carroll added.

However, he said Royal Bahamas Defence Force seizures of several Spanish Wells vessels for alleged compressor has negatively impact the industry.

Mr Carroll explained: “Let me tell you what’s going on and what contributed to that. During the summer before last, a Spanish Wells boat got locked up for having a compressor on the boat.

“The Fisheries Department have tightened down on compressors. So, when they go hauling they take compressors to clear nests that they haul, but since the RBDF were locking them up they were not going out to sea.”

As a result of the crackdown on compressors, Spanish Wells vessels have been hesitant to go out to sea, leading to a shortage of fish supplies and consumers finding slim pickings at the fish houses.

“What happens is the fish houses store up fish and they re-sell them throughout the year, but with no fish coming in this past summer, there was less supply to go around and that means you had shortages. This is why fishermen are fighting to use compressors year-round,” said Mr Carroll.

The compressor ban coincides with the off-season for lobster fishing between April to July each year. It is illegal to use any type of underwater air supply for spear fishing or collecting marine life. This includes scuba gear as well as air compressors, unless there is a permit to do so from the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources.