In the framework of the ACP Fish Program II, funded by the European Union , the Department of Marine Resources of The Bahamas will work on the development of a New Fisheries Act.

A first step in this process is to organize a series of town meeting throughout The Bahamas to get the public’s input on the matter. The series of community meetings began in the capital on May 22 and will continue until the end of the current month.

The current Fisheries Act has not been changed since 1977. “We have been getting a lot of complaints from the public not knowing certain rules such as bone-fishing, turtle and lobster season or the size or season of conch—the whole public sector has a lot of concerns and we just want to address them”, a government representative said.

The purpose behind drafting a new Fisheries Act is to strengthen and improve fisheries management in The Bahamas and to create a new, modern and effective legal framework.

The ACP Fish II Programme has at disposal €30m until the end of 2013 to improve fisheries management in ACP countries and to reinforce regional cooperation for the management of shared stocks.