$3000 Reward: Parrotfish Poaching Information
[Updated] The Bermuda National Trust is offering a $3000 reward for information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of the person who killed 41 parrotfish on 1 July 2015 in the vicinity of Cooper’s Island.
Earlier this month the Department of Environmental Protection said a “serious poaching incident” took place on July 1st when wardens observed a person snorkeling in the Cooper’s Island area and subsequently recovered 42 recently speared fish, with 41 of them being parrotfish.
A Department spokesperson said, “Staff from the Department of Environmental Protection are troubled to report a serious poaching incident which took place on the morning of Wednesday, July 1st when Fisheries wardens on patrol observed a person snorkeling in the vicinity of Cooper’s Island and acting in a suspicious manner.
“The snorkeler refused to respond to enquiries and would not show his face, but simply showed his empty hands and then swam off. The wardens retraced his path and found a spear and a string with 42 recently speared fish on the seabed in shallow water, plus another recently speared fish floating on the surface.
“As members of the public are likely to be aware, anyone wishing to spear fish in Bermuda requires a licence from the Department of Environmental Protection, and spear fishing is not allowed within 1 nautical mile of the shore.
“Further, of the dead fish recovered, 41 were parrotfish, a family of fishes that have been protected under Bermuda law since 1993 and which may not be taken or harmed.”
Anyone with any information is asked to please call the Fishtips hotline at 705-3474 or Crime Stoppers anonymous hotline 800-8477. You can also contact the Bermuda Police.
“Killing a parrot fish is like poaching an elephant,” the BNT said. “Without parrot fish our coral reefs will die.”
Update 7.29pm: The BNT said that the reward is now up to $3,000.
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Category: All, Environment, News
Im so glad that people are taking this seriously!! I went snorkeling just last week and found a small school of parrot fish that were beautiful and so much fun to swim with. Focus on spearing the Lion fish and leave the Parrots Alone!!!
Thanks for stepping up Bermuda National Trust. By offering a $2000 reward for information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of the person who killed them 41 parrotfish on 1 July 2015 in the vicinity of Cooper’s Island
just maybe what’s needed. Hopefully we’ll find the culprit and use them as an example, and not hand down a sentence equivalent to, “a slap upon the wrist”
This is very serious and I’m so pleased to see a reward being put up. However, it would be nice for someone to come forward with information without being rewarded. The NT needs every penny it can get but I would imagine that these funds have been donated by someone for this purpose.
Turn yourself in because someone is going to drop a dime today and be $2000 richer! You are about to be scaled and gutted!!
Fantastic! Rules are worthless unless they can be enforced. Let’s see someone caught for this.
This is not a local. It may be due to a miss informed person or some kinda of spy or insider false flag move to stricken fishing policies. Think about it people… who would do this and then on top take a picture.
The picture was taken by the authorities after they found the dead fish. If you know who it was, step forward and claim the reward. If you don’t, you’re just speculating
@obviously…are you really that dumb. The speared fish photo was taken by Fisheries Wardens…DOH!!
False flag anyone? Or some kinda of attack on Bermuda? Or some misinformed vistor. I am very smart. Street smart and I know Bermudan values at even the very low end. A bermudan is not capable of this. It has been brain washed in to us from child hood that the parrot fish keep our beaches looking they way they do.
*bermudian
That must be some serious chronic high grade yah smokin’. I can hear the brain cells pingin’ dead from here!
Bermudians can go around committing armed robbery, but they wouldn’t illegally catch a few fish?
Riiiight.
the fact you spell Bermudian Bermudan is all we need thanks
so a warden saw this person but cant even tell us if the person is a male/female black white Asian person?
@swing voter…I have to admit that this should have been handled a lot differently. At the very least they should have called the Police and followed the person!
Don’t ask me why but it seems to have become politically incorrect or something to give descriptions of criminal offenders anymore.
There was never any such description of the 2 guys who did the armed heist on Middle Road in Warwick at the start of the week either . And that was even after the cctv pics were put up.
standing somewhere was a witness to this person carrying out this disgusting act tell who you saw what you saw and speak the truth name and shame
People will eat each other if they get hungry enough. Stop worrying about the reward and begin to worry about the economic environment that leads to this type of activity.
Not to sound ignorant but have you guys been fishing on the south shore lately those are like the only fish that bite your line now days they were numbers years n years ago but they are back more then ever now
It takes an incident for us react to a situation. I finally fiqured out why laws are made to be broken. The people that make the laws know everything except how to enforce them. As
long as we keep our eyes WIDE SHUT and only concern ourselves
with I and ME, instead of US and WE. failure is guaranteed.
gotta eat
Even if someone comes forward, it would be their word against the other. There would be zero proof. Sadly this will just waste the courts time/money. Even if there were CCTV cameras catching the person leaving, you’d have to catch them arriving with spear in tow, otherwise there’s still no proof as no one was necessarily caught in the act. It’s a real shame.
REMOVE this flagrant waste of money as a reward…I want to know WHO were the wardens that found this crime being committed and DID NOT pursue the criminal…These particular people got a pay cheque at the end of the week though didn’t they? Now you want to reward someone else?… Reminds me of another govt. Dept who allowed a person to evade them by taking the pursuit to the water.
It’s obvious that when the “officers” noticed the diver and approached the diver showed their hands and
the “officers’ didn’t see any evidence to apprehend the diver…Therefore they couldn’t do “Jack”. Now, after looking about they came across “the fish” but of course by that time the diver had disappeared…
Tree thousand dollah….yours…if you assist those protect what is yours to protect…how could you not?
Those wardens were derelict in their duty.
Not only for the ecological importance and the sheer stupidity of the act but I will surely turn your butt in for 2G’s.
They had the offender and let him or her swim away. How can that happen?
How many times must it be said ? How many times ?
The wardens did not know that at the point that they saw the guy that any infraction had taken place . It was only after the fact that they dived on the approximate site and found the speared parrot fish and they linked the two .
The ONLY pertinent question that remains is how did the guy vanish so quickly that they could not have pursued him .
I hope that finally clears it up for dozens of posters and readers .
The person was acting suspicious, can’t apprehend for that! Evidence had to be found, then to find the culprit.
Too bad this guy was not going after lion fish the way he slaughtered parrot fish.
Get your local MP to check into this heinous crime for you. I think Lovitta Foggo is the area MP.