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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Bahamas Information Services Updates
“The practice of harvesting
undersize crawfish presents a clear and present danger to the crawfish
industry,” he told a press conference on Monday.
“If left unchecked, this
practice will lead to the eventual depletion of the stock.”
Also, the position of The Bahamas
as a leading exporter of crawfish could be “severely damaged,”
he said.
“Foreign buyers increasingly
accept products only from well-managed and sustainable fisheries,”
Mr Cartwright said. “Consequently The Bahamas as a whole stands to
lose if the harvesting of undersize crawfish continues.”
Also present at the press conference
were director of marine resources Michael Braynen, deputy director Edison
Deleveaux, permanent secretary Cresswell Sturrup, and administrative
officer Jacqueline Fox.
Defence Force and Department
of Marine Resources in Grand Bahama and Abaco have been seizing a number
of undersize crawfish, said Mr Cartwright.
Those found in possession of
them were arrested and charged before the courts.
Fisheries regulations state
that no one shall take, have in their possession, or sell any undersize
crawfish.
Persons in charge of vessels
engaged in crawfishing shall ensure that they carry measuring gauges
capable of determining the legal size, said the Minister.
The warning also went out to
buyers.
“They too contribute to the
non-sustainability of the resource by providing a market for undersize
crawfish,” the Minister said.
Enforcement officers are monitoring
mail boats for the landing of undersize crawfish.
The scientific basis for the
minimum size limit is to ensure at least one spawning season for crawfish
before they are of legal size, Mr Cartwright explained.
“(The authorities) will continue
to monitor the activities of the Bahamian fishing industry and will
take measures as necessary in accordance to the Fisheries Regulations
and Act of the Bahamas,” the Minister warned.
He said the crawfish industry
remains “an essential component” of the Bahamian economy.”
It generates an estimated $60
million to $70 million annually and employs approximately 9,000 Bahamians
full-time.
“It is noteworthy that some
of the country’s highest per capita incomes are to be found in Family
Island fishing communities,” said Mr Cartwright.
Also there is a direct linkage between the tourism industry and crawfish industries, he noted.
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Bahamians face prosecution
“to the fullest extent of the law” for harvesting undersize
crawfish, Agriculture and Marine resources Minister Lawrence S ‘Larry’
Cartwright stated.