BEST Reminds Public Of Sustainable Fishing
The Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce [BEST] is reminding the public to practice sustainable fishing in order to ensure that local fish continue to be available for everyone.
A BEST spokesperson said, “Please practice sustainable fishing habits; ensure local fish continue to be available for everyone’s future enjoyment!
- “Spearfishing requires a license from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources [DENR] and may not be conducted within one nautical mile of the shoreline. A special permit is required to spear lionfish close to shore.
- “Netting is prohibited at the following locations: Somerset Long Bay; Shelly Bay; Whalebone Bay; and Coot Pond. Recreational fishers are only permitted to use a cast net not exceeding eight feet in diameter.
- “No fishing is permitted around protected dive sites – radius varies from 100m to 1km as indicated on marker buoys and in the Fisheries [Protected Areas] Order 2000.
- “Do not take juvenile fish – this is an unsustainable practice and harms Bermuda’s fishery, which impacts everyone. Follow the minimum legal size restrictions on the regulation sticker available from DENR.
- “Respect the daily bag limits and catch only what you need. Taking more than your allowance of fish could harm our fishery and takes from everyone else
- “Fishing from public parks and beaches is not permitted where signposted.
- “Dispose of fishing line responsibly – monofilament line takes around 600 years to biodegrade and when left underwater can entangle and harm marine life, including turtles, whales, and other fish.
- “Cut out single use plastic – plastic pollution of our oceans leads to plastic particles inside the fish that we eat — take your trash home with you.
- “Visit here for copies of the Fisheries legislation.
- “If you see any illegal or harmful fishing activity, please contact the Fisheries Wardens on 535-4615 or email fishwardens@gov.bm. A friendly reminder from the Marine Conservation Team at Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce.”
Read More About
Category: All, Environment
I am fishing wherever the fish are! This is my family’s only hope to remain fed with the current situation so take these BEST rules and shove it! BEST people can afford to sit in their thrones and criticize us who have next to nothing! The ocean is our resource and right now it’s my family’s only kitchen pantry!
Yes, BEST’s message was not sensitive to the current times. They put so much emphasis on the environment that they forgot about the people. They should provide resources for those who are fishing because they don’t have other food options. @STFU. What happens if everyone who depends on fish thinks like you? Your family will eventually be hungry along with others. Covid financial strain is here for a long time so you must think short and long-term food supply for your family. Consider putting some plants in pots/the ground, too. Remember, even the poorest indigenous groups fish and hunt sustainably. BEST please remember sustainability has three pillars…people, planet and economics. Look at the state of the affairs and please be sensitive to the needs of our community when you put out statements.
Thanks for your comments. We recognize these are difficult times and people ultimately need to feed their families. We also recognize that the ocean is a resource, and that it is a finite resource, meaning there is not a never-ending supply of fish. That is why these rules exist, to prevent the abuse of this finite resource, and ensure that our waters are not overfished so that our fishery is protected. This is important so ALL Bermudians can take advantage of this precious resource, as long as they use it responsibly. Of course in tough times like these, it is more important to make people aware of why these restrictions exist, because they are to the benefit of ALL of us. That is why we are reminding people to take heed of the fishing regulations. To clarify, these are not BEST’s rules, but rules put in place by DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources), a government department.