Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, V. Alfred Gray, urged fishermen to observe all of the rules and regulations or face prosecution.
As in previous years, the Department of Fisheries is gearing up to fight poachers and illegal fishing.
It is believed that most poachers are commercial fishermen, primarily from the Dominican Republic, who habitually fish in the southern Bahamas. The maximum penalty is a fine of up to $50,000 or a one-year term in prison… or both.
The Department is warning against the trapping of undersized crustaceans and the use of unlicensed apparatus.
All crawfish caught must be at least five-and-a-half inches in tail length and three-and-one-quarter inches in jacket length.
Fishermen who are interested in using air compressors and traps to harvest lobsters need to obtain a permit from the Department of Fisheries. Compressors can only legally be used between the depths of 30 and 60 feet of water.
