The Bahamas Cruising Guide with the Turks and Caicos Islands: Third Edition


The Bahamas Cruising Guide with the Turks and Caicos Islands: Third Edition - Updates

REVISED FISHING REGULATIONS 2007
Every marina in the Bahamas must now have a sign, indicating the new catch limits. It is a bag limit for the boat, irrespective of the number of persons on board.

Regulation 48 (Ch 244 – Subsidiary Legislation of the Bahamas – 2000) now reads:

48. (1) In sports fishing the following rules apply.

A. A person shall fish by the traditional method of angling with a hook or lure attached to a line held in the hand or attached to a pole, rod or reel.

B. A person, unless otherwise authorized by the respective permit, shall not use a spear, a fish trap, or a net other than a landing net.

C. Each vessel shall use not more than six (6) rods or reels unless the operator is in possession of a permit authorizing the use of more rods or reels.

D. Any migratory fishery resource that is caught shall not in total consist of more than six (6) Kingfish, Dolphin, Tuna or Wahoo per vessel and any resource not intended to be used shall not be injured unnecessarily, but be returned to the sea alive.

E. (2) The limitations specified (1) (D) and (E) shall also apply to a Bahamian vessel engaged in fishing for purposes other than commercial by persons who are not Bahamians.

F. (3) Subject to paragraph (1) no vessel shall have on board any fish unless its head and tail is intact.

G. The general public is advised that the Queen Conch is considered to be an endangered species throughout much of its range within the wider Caribbean area, including the Bahamas. The Government, in an effort to ensure the continued sustainability of local conch stocks, has decided to prohibit the harvesting of the species by foreign boaters.The new rules allow for only 6 crawfish per vessel during open season. Catch limits for demersal fish (grouper, snapper etc) are 20lbs or 6 fish per vessel. Dolphin, tuna, kingfish and wahoo are also limited to six per vessel. No conch at all can be taken.

All fish retained, must be boarded and transported with head and tail intact in order to clarify identification during inspection.

Navigation Marks and Lights
Marsh Harbour
A total of eight new channel marks are planned to replace the poles now marking the Marsh Harbour commercial entry channel.

White Sound, Elbow Cay
The entry channel is to have standard port and starboard lighted entry marks.

Hole-in-the-Wall, Great Abaco
The lighthouse is now in operation.

Air Travel to the US from the Bahamas
Be aware that whatever current US domestic carry-on regulations are in force, the same prohibitions on the contents of carry-on luggage will be enforced in the Bahamas.

Inevitably this means greater congestion and longer delays in the checking-in process. Allow far more time to catch your flight than you may have done in the past

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Note on Sources
We much appreciate comment and reports from you, our users. Where the information shown in our updates has sources other than the Bahamas Cruising Guide, the source is noted. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of information reported to us, but will endeavor to check it out, if we reckon it necessary, at the first opportunity. It goes without saying that everything that has been brought to our attention will be checked out before the next edition.