Wednesday, February 1, 2017

New Bonefishing Regulations in the Bahamas . . .




The Bahamas Government has recently implemented new regulations regarding bonefishing. These regulations are effective as of January 9th, 2017. Some of the points include the following:
·       
Cost of License: Day License (valid day of issuance only) - $15.00; Weekly License - $20.00; Monthly License - $30.00; Annual License - $60.00.
  • All anglers over the age of 12 will need a license to fish. 
  • These regulations will require all persons using the flats, such as guides anglers and DIYs to have a license issued by the Department of Marine Resources in New Providence, or the Family Island Administrators in the Family Islands and soon the licenses will be issued online
  • All guides are expected to be certified over time by the Ministry of Tourism and the Department of Marine Resources, in conjunction with approved fly fishing associations in The Bahamas.
  • Bahamian certified fishing guides must be used if two (2) or more anglers are fishing in the flats by means of a vessel (skiffs, etc.)
  •  Only Bahamian-registered vessels will be allowed on the flats.
  •  Only Bahamians will be allowed to work as guides.
  •  Do-It-Yourselfers or DIYs will not need a fishing guide.
  •  No commercial fishing will be allowed on the flats.
  • The fishery covered by these regulations include bonefish, tarpon, cobia, and permit.
  • The fines and penalties as set out in the regulations will be strictly enforced.

PLEASE NOTE:  The Online Application & Payment Process is not yet set up.  Small Hope Bay Lodge will purchase the fishing license on behalf of our guests prior to arrival until this process is fixed.


Please see MyOutIslands.com or the Bahamas.gov pages for more details. Or contact us at info@smallhope.com  or 800-223-6961 with any questions you may have on these new regulations. They are new to us too, but we will help find the answers for you!

And don’t forget, Andros is the bonefishing Capital of the World so book one of our great all inclusive Fishing Packages with us and let us handle everything!

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