Caymanian-only shore fishing debate resurfaces a decade on

The question of whether only Caymanians should be given licences to allow them to catch fish from shore was debated in length on the radio this week.

Currently, fishing from shore in Cayman’s non-protected areas is legal for everyone. No licence is needed.

But some are suggesting a decade-old abandoned law that limits shore fishing to Caymanians-only should be reintroduced.

On Monday, 31 July, guest host Simon Boxall interviewed Tim Austin, deputy director of the Department of Environment, on Radio Cayman’s ‘For the Record’.

Austin said the issue of fishing licences is something that people bring up all the time, adding, “It’s something that we’re actually being tasked with looking at.”

In 2007, an amendment to the Marine Conservation Act required non-Caymanians to hold a licence from the Marine Conservation Board at cost of $400 per year or $150 per month.

But during a 2010 court case, then Chief Magistrate Margaret Ramsay-Hale – now Cayman’s chief justice – said the law was discriminatory and unconstitutional.

It was later repealed with the passing of the National Conservation Act in 2013.

Austin said restrictions to shore fishing is something people want addressed, adding it is “inevitable” that moves will happen, “and we’re certainly working towards it”.

He explained that the Department of Environment submitted “a range of proposals” on the topic to the Ministry of Sustainability and Climate Resiliency just three months ago.

One of the options the department presented was to give all Caymanians a fishing licence, he told Boxall.

There are solutions, he said, but it comes down to money and enforcement, adding that it is “very, very difficult” to determine who is Caymanian.

This matter also has to compete every year with other issues that require financial input, he explained.

‘Protect our own interests’

Several Caymanian residents called the radio show to express their upset at the lack of shore-fishing regulations.

Elvis McKeever, who called from Cayman Brac, said Caymanians are being punished by the lack of a licence system and said too many non-Caymanians are overfishing.

“I’ve been barking this for the last 15 years,” he said. “When are we going to stop people without a permit coming here and fishing?”

Another caller said that when he lived in Canada, everybody who fished had a licence and there would be restrictions on the amount of marine life that could be taken.

“Why is it that we are reluctant to put laws in place to protect our own interests?” he asked.

The caller said the high cost of enforcement is not the most important factor, adding, “Why is it that it’s always about money and not about sustenance of the environment and health?”

He said he is also aware of the rapid increase in population, but that should not compromise Cayman’s natural environment.

“We allow so many people to come and everybody can do what they want to do. They can take as much fish as they want… and we just say ,‘Oh well, that’s the price of growth’.”

Another caller said there is “hardly anything in the ocean” to raise his children on and there are “absolutely no fish” in some of his local spots.

“It is becoming a bad and a serious problem when it comes to the marine life,” he said, and added that there should be laws to prevent non-Caymanians from shore fishing.

A fourth caller said foreign workers are often not following the law on shore fishing in terms of size of fish that can be caught, and a fishing licence would help prevent that.

Marine protected areas

During the discussion, Austin said the best way to protect the marine environment is not necessarily to create a licensing system, but to establish “no take” protected areas.

“In a marine protected area, someone fishing from the shore is illegal. We can stop them no matter who they are,” he told Boxall.

“When it’s licence holding, we have to look at everybody that’s fishing… it’s a nightmare to enforce.”

Austin said 40-45% of the Cayman Islands coastal shelf is protected, which means that fishing from shore is not allowed in those locations.

“Unfortunately, there are some people that may have lost their fishing grounds or their favourite fishing spot or the ability to fish off the back of their house.

“But we still feel that the system itself, overall, represents the best scenario for the Cayman population as it is.

“There are compromises in there, and obviously the idea is that if we can protect some areas, that will go to benefit the areas outside and everybody benefits as well.”

The Compass reached out to the Ministry of Sustainability and Climate Resiliency for a comment, and is awaiting a response.