FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HON. MICHAEL C. PINTARD, M.P. : PLP WEAKNESS OPENS BAHAMIAN WATERS TO POACHERS, FISHERMEN BETRAYED
“The opening of the 2025 crawfish season has once again laid bare the PLP government’s failure to defend Bahamian fishermen and safeguard our marine resources. Across our fishing communities, there are disturbing reports of seabed condos being tampered with, damaged traps, and lobster remains scattered below. These are the unmistakable signs of poaching before the season began. Fishermen are convinced Dominican vessels have resumed their illegal activities in Bahamian waters, all under the watch of the Davis administration.”
“Poaching is not just an environmental matter. It is a national security risk and an economic assault on Bahamian livelihoods. Our waters and the resources within them belong to Bahamians, but the PLP has abandoned that principle.”
“When I served as Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources, the FNM government took decisive steps to protect our industry. We outlawed the use of scuba hoses by Dominican divers, barred them from working on Bahamian fishing boats, and resisted every attempt to roll back the longline ban. We made clear that while fish processing could involve non-Bahamian investment, commercial fishing must remain the birthright of Bahamian citizens. Those measures were tough but necessary, and they helped rebuild our conch stocks and protect crawfish for Bahamian fishermen.”
“We also invested in enforcement. Between 2019 and 2021, the FNM acquired four additional patrol vessels and imposed tougher penalties on poachers, including heavier fines and prison sentences. That investment was made to protect Bahamian fishermen and secure the future of our marine economy.”
“The PLP has reversed course. Their attorneys worked to undo those protections, and when they returned to government, prosecutions evaporated. In Parliament, we warned that some Dominicans were pursuing citizenship through marriages of convenience and using spousal permits as a back door into our commercial industry. Instead of closing loopholes, the PLP allowed the very safeguards we put in place to be dismantled. Arrests of Dominican fishers during this period revealed that multiple fishers had Bahamian numbers stored in their phones. A thorough investigation into who these poachers are collaborating with inside the country to devastate our fishing stocks is urgently needed. We must also work through diplomatic channels to ensure that businesspersons in the Dominican Republic, The Bahamas, or the United States are not in any way cooperating in the sale of marine resources stolen from Bahamian waters.”
“The consequences are clear. Fishermen are reporting that conch and crawfish stocks are again under severe threat. Entire areas of our southern banks have been wiped out this summer, and communities are rightly outraged. They see Dominican crews re-entering the industry, boats being repaired with Dominican labor, and dinghies are stacked with foreign divers. These are the direct costs of PLP negligence and dishonesty. The Government must restore and strengthen the national diving program that will increase the number of Bahamian divers available to work fishing vessels.”
“Even as our fishermen fight to hold onto their livelihoods, the Bahamas’ hard-earned Marine Stewardship Council certification now hangs in the balance. And while poachers from the Dominican Republic ravage our southern waters, the government cannot even stop Americans from fishing illegally off West End. Bahamians are left unprotected while foreigners plunder our resources.”
“The difference is clear. Where the FNM acted decisively, the PLP has failed. Under the next FNM government, fraudulent citizenships will be revoked. Those who aid foreign poachers will face prosecution. We will empower Bahamian fishermen to report violations directly, and the Defence Force will be fully resourced to respond. Most importantly, we will consult with fishing communities, associations, and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force to design a comprehensive enforcement plan that secures this industry for generations of Bahamians.”
“Bahamian fishermen are a lifeline to our economy and our culture. They deserve a government that protects them. The FNM will always stand with them.”