Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Michael Pintard said they are making progress as a ministry in protecting the country’s scarce marine resources, with the addition of four patrol vessels at a cost of some $700,000.

He noted that they have also significantly increased staff, hiring “the largest complement of fisheries officers in the country’s history.”

Mr Pintard was speaking at the official commissioning ceremony of the Department of Marine Resources’ 25ft Contender Marine Patrol Craft in Freeport on Friday.

He said the ministry is continuing the tradition in the department under successive administrations of increasing the complement of vessels.

The minister indicated that while the funds allocated thus far are significant, he believes much more is required.

“We spent in the vicinity of $704,000 since 2019 to add four additional marine patrol vessels. Dorian, unfortunately, set us back in terms of the damage done, not just to vehicles and facilities, but also to several patrol crafts.

“But we are excited we are back on track. We were hurt by the tragedies of Dorian and the pandemic, but we are rebounding and building back stronger than before,” Minister Pintard said.

The commissioned vessel is fully equipped with VHS radio, GPS, VHS radio, strobe lights, and twin Yamaha engines.

“We are excited about this opportunity to patrol and protect our environment,” he said.

Mr Pintard said that Grand Bahama is not their only focus. He promised to make sure Abaco has its “right” complement of vessels, as well as Eleuthera and Bimini.

The minister also indicated that $216,000 in additional funds have been allocated to increase the complement of vehicles on Grand Bahama to assist the staff in executing their work.

“We have made some progress. Are we where we need to be as a ministry? I would say, no. Are we on the right road heading in the right direction and picking up speed? I would say yes.”

In terms of personnel in Grand Bahama, Minister Pintard noted that one of the challenges his ministry has had is insufficient personnel to enforce the laws regarding the protection of the marine environment.

To address that issue, he reported that they have increased the staff complement to eight in the Department of Marine Resources.

“Four persons have been added since 2018, and over the last three years we have had the approval to hire the largest complement of fisheries officers in the history of the Bahamas,” he said.

“We are grateful that the policymakers and public servants are appreciating the fact that if we are to protect our marine resources here, there has to be a dramatic increase, not just in capacity, but in terms of the number of employees available throughout the length and breadth of the Bahamas,” he said.

During his address, Mr Pintard recognised Ledena Pelecanos who heads the department in Grand Bahama. He also made mention of Wayne Hall for his many years as a volunteer and lecturer for some of their initiatives, including the aquaponics programme, in Grand Bahama. “I wish to acknowledge him with a moment of silence for his untimely passing,” he said.

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