Commercial Fishing in the Bahamas

Commercial fishing is a major industry in the Bahamas.

One of the major industries within the Bahamas is the commercial fishing industry. The area of commercial fishing within the Bahamas is responsible for employing at least 10,000 to 13,000 Bahamians.

Laws

With this large amount of the country’s population within this sector, the government has stringent laws in place for commercial fishing overseen by the Fisheries Department. For example, the laws on the type of fish caught are there to protect the natural fishery resources from damage and exploitation.

Licenses

Any company that is not 100 percent Bahamian-owned will have a difficult time being granted a license in the Bahamas for commercial fishing. A Bahamian national wanting a commercial fishing license will have to make a detailed application to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Application

The application will ask questions as to the size of the vessel or vessels, the amount of people to be employed and where fishing will take place. Before the application is approved, the officer receiving the application will advise the applicant on the fishing laws of the Bahamas.

Limits

Most of the commercial fishing in the Bahamas is reserved for Bahamian nationals. Not only is this industry regulated in terms of who can fish there but also in terms of which fish, for example grouper, and how much can be taken.

Fishing Certain Species

For example, the fishing laws of the Bahamas will never permit the Queen Conch, a mollusk, to be fished on a large scale commercial basis as this is considered a protected species within the Bahamas, and most of the Caribbean.

References

• Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism: The Bahamas
• First Class Charters: Bahamian Fishing Laws

Resources

• The Government of the Bahamas: Commercial Fishing Application