So… details of a recent meeting with stakeholders have squeaked out and it seems like my initial read on things was maybe a bit optimistic.
Licenses won’t be available on-line on January 1st. You’ll have to go to a govt. office to get one and you won’t be able to get one on a weekend.
Second home owners and folks with skiffs in the Bahamas are just screwed. There was something about “if they can afford a boat, they can afford a guide.” There are no accommodations being made. The whole thing reeks of xenophobia and resentment.
This all is aimed squarely at ending DIY and maybe shutting down competing lodges by putting the power to anoint guides in the hands of the BFFIA. The first draft, the worst one, may have actually tipped their hand at what they were really after.
This is likely the first step in more to come.
I’m deeply saddened by all of this. I can’t wait to be proven wrong.
- If you liked the story above, check out these stories below
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Tags: Bahamas Regulations
Hi Bjorn, do you know whether paddling with a sea kayak would be considered as a “boat”? I am a big fan of DIY bonefishing and I am not sure whether I’ll be allowed to use my sea kayak under the new regulation. Thanks for sharing your own interpretation of that specific point
I think you’d be in the clear on using a sea kayak, as you are only going to have one person in the Kayak. That looks pretty legit. If you had a canoe and had two people in it, that would, by my read, require a guide.
Thanks a billion for your prompt reply, Bjorn. I should have been more specific and indeed mentioned that the sea kayak is actually a 2 pers canoe. Therefore it seems that 2 people in it is not an option any more without a guide. So we are screwed as well 🙁
Bjorn, in the document you posted recently, it required a vessel sportfishing license and that anglers on board possess individual licenses. Sportfishing licenses for foreign vessels are commonly issued in the Bahamas. Not sure how you are getting to your conclusions; am I missing something? Would appreciate the clarification.
Alex, there are so many conclusions I’ve jumped to, not sure which one you mean. The bit about getting a Sportfishing license is really aimed at Motherships, but it isn’t clear if that also applies to skiffs. .4(4) and .4(5) seem to be talking about skiffs and who needs a guide. It is a bit screwy.
I am done.
I will not be going back to the Bahamas anytime soon. I am not going back to where I am obviously not wanted. Yes that is an overstatement but that is the impression these regulations are giving off. There are to many other places to go, excluding Cuba because I am not going there either, where people are welcoming and I am not going to have to worry about being arrested if I take my two children out fishing.