Meridian Marina and Yacht Club inaugural Bahamas Fun Run Aug 7-10
[dropcap]M[/dropcap]eridian Marina and Yacht Clubâs inaugural Bahamas Fun Run is set for August 7-10, 2015. Enjoy the safety and security of traveling on your own boat, with a group of boaters, to the Grand Lucayan Resort in Port Lucaya on Grand Bahama Island.
Meridian will handle the entire trip from launch to return. No need to worry about how to get there, where to dock, where to stay, or what to do. Meridianâs concierge service is extended to all joining the Fun Run. And when you join the Bahama Fun Run, youâll receive a complimentary social membership to the Meridian Marina and Yacht Club where you can take part in all the clubâs activities.
The Captainâs Meeting for the trip will take place on August 4th. Space is limited. For details, contact Rosann at events@meridianmarina.com or call (772) 221-8198.
Proposed Bahamas âFisheries Resources (Jurisdiction and Conservation) Flats Fishing Regulations, 2015â may bring require flats fishing license and require anglers to fish Bahamas flats with a certified guide
Citing a need to protect resources and to protect Bahamian fishing guides from foreigners who come in to the Bahamas and set up business, the Bahamas Fly Fishing Industry Association (BFFIA), led by Prescott Smith, has helped draft new regulations that would require a $20 per day fishing license, and restrict visiting flats anglers from fishing on their own, even experts coming to the Bahamas for decadesâthey would be required to hire a local and certified Bahamian fly fishing guide at a cost of $600 per day. The draft language also states that second home owners (non-Bahamian citizens) who have their own boats would not be able to go and fish by themselves. And some opponents have argued the language in the proposed regulation, could even have Bahamian fathers, who are not fishing guides by trade, teaching their children to fish be subject to potential prosecution. In addition to the daily license fee, guides and lodge operators would pay $150 and $250 per year for their certificates, respectively.
All three of these fees are accompanied by $10 processing fees. Flats fishing permit fees will then be split down the middle, with 50 per cent of the proceeds going to the Governmentâs consolidated fund and the other half âreserved as a conservation levy and directly deposited into, and for the purposes of, the conservation fundâ.
The proposed regulations have split the $141 million Bahamian fly fishing industry down the middle. The Abaco Fly Fishing Guide Association, together with some guides from Grand Bahama and elsewhere, are refusing to recognize the BFFIA as the industryâs governing body following a controversial – and hotly disputed – annual general meeting in June.
The Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association, Grand Bahama and Out Island Promotion Boards, and the Marina Operators of the Bahamas oppose the amendments fearing the tourism industry will be hit âlike a tsunamiâ.
The main criticisms over the new regulations are the consultation period has been too short; the fees and processes for obtaining fishing licenses are inflexible and overly bureaucratic; that the âred tapeâ and extra costs will make the Bahamas uncompetitive and send anglers elsewhere; and that while everyone acknowledges the need to conserve natural resources and ensure Bahamians get a âfair piece of the economic pieâ, the reforms appear too protectionist. The proposed Bahamas flats fishing regulations can be read here: http://bit.ly/1HHjIGg.