Tourism Forward: ‘Fishing Off The Rocks’
[Part of the Bermuda Tourism Authority’s ‘Tourism Forward’ series]
If you grew up fishing off the rocks in Bermuda, Bryan Harvey is determined to have you rediscover that experience Sunday on the Railway Trail in Hamilton Parish.
He’s part of the Bermuda Tourism Authority’s Rediscover the Rail Trail event so that the experience he began offering to visitors recently can be exposed more broadly. He’s fished all his life. At one of his usual spots last year he encountered a visitor who asked to join him. By the end of that day, Mr Harvey sensed opportunity.
“I was in between jobs and everything so I said you know what, let me try this out,” he said.
Now he’s offering the experience to guests of the Grotto Bay Resort, taking them to fish off the rocks along the Rail Trail, typically near the hotel between Crawl and Coney Island. If they get lucky, he sends the catch back in a bag with ice. The chefs at Grotto Bay prepare it for the guests’ dinner.
“You give me your order, I turn into a waiter,” Mr Harvey said. “You want it baked? You want it fried? You want it boiled? Whatever. You go get washed up and you’ve having dinner right there. That’s the deal with Grotto Bay.”
BTA Director of Public and Stakeholder Relations Glenn Jones said of Sunday’s event: “Our goal at the Bermuda Tourism Authority is to get entrepreneurs thinking about what kinds of experiences they can offer along the Railway Trail, all across the island that will enhance the experience of the people that are using it. Bryan’s example of fishing off the rocks is one way to do that.”
Photo courtesy Scott Ripley:
Based on Mr Harvey’s advice, the BTA has designated a “Best Place to Catch a Fish” along the Rail Trail in Hamilton Parish and on Sunday Bryan will be there helping anyone who is interested put a line over. There are six other special spots as well, everything from “Best Place to Steal a Kiss” to “Best Place to Take a Plunge”.
Participants who visit each spot can participate in a One Communications social media contest where GoPro Cameras and Beats by Dre are among the prizes. For more information about the event visit www.gotobermuda.com/bta.
Watch the Tourism Forward video series online at the BTA’s Vimeo channel. Tourism Forward also airs on cable on Channel 82.
Ummm…isn’t it illegal to make money taking people fishing without having a charter fishing licence?
Don’t think so. I think it is illegal to sell the fish which he isn’t doing. If you take someone out in a boat (charter) then you need to have a pilot’s license and a registered boat but he isn’t doing that either. Leave him alone he and the tourists are not going to deplete the fish.
No but sadly our Asian expats with their multiple ten gallon buckets every day will deplete the stocks.
I thought it was illegal?
I bet our guests will love this, what a good idea and as a business there is little overhead.
Oh great! (NOT)
There goes the neighborhood. I’ll need to line up to go fishing down the rocks now.
Bummer
Sincerely wish him success. I like the railway trail for the peace it provides – - – -well it used to be peaceful.
BTA’s ads are always so forced and obviously scripted, there’s no fluidity and natural feel to any of their videos.
Don’t mean to pee in Mr Harvey’s cornflakes, but are we not supposed to have fishing licenses now?
Needing a fishing license is nothing new to any visitor. In Alaska you can get a license valid for one day. It is not cheap. It can be bought right from the fishing trip operator.
This is brilliant. Many guest have been know to bring their catch back to hotel and the chef will cook it up for them.
No no no if local Bermudian’s can’t fish substantially off the rocks i.e. killing fish that are too immature or fish that are protected what makes you think a guest to our island won’t do the same..
Let’s be open minded and we all know this man can make a few dollars and put smiles on our visitors faces and a warmth in their hearts for Bermuda that will speak volumes when they spread the word. It is a wonderful idea…go for it!!!
I love it! Tourists will enjoy the experience and a video such as this encourages young people to become entrepreneurs. It’s a win-win situation. Way to go, Bryan Harvey. Bermuda, I’ll see you soon. Looking forward to some rock fishing!
Even Alabama requires fishing licenses for this kind of thing. It’s commercial fishing. He should have to be licensed and record his catches.
There’s no fish of the rocks anymore! Many of our residents from South Asia have depleted shore fish stocks over the past decades by catching all and everything indiscriminately. What a local throws back because of size or just simply not the fish we eat they do. I’ve noticed there’s barely a fish left at public docks because of over fishing.
there is no fish left to catch…