Their actions can devastate local fish stocks and destroy sensitive, productive marine habitats with the use of harmful fishing gear and practices; threatening food security and the socio-economic stability in many parts of the world. We were aware of the danger associated with poachers in the Bahamas so we decided to steer around the dinghies in the area and give the mother ship a wide berth.
We decided to change our plan and keep motoring until we reached the lee of Cay Sal Island, where we anchored for the night. The next morning we moved around to the east side of Cay Sal. We saw a dozen or so dinghies scattered around the south end of the island, apparently fishing the area, but we saw no support vessel.
We anchored and launched our dinghy so that we could circle the island, during which we confirmed that there was no mother ship nearby. We were alarmed to discover that the poachers had actually set up camp on the west side of uninhabited Cay Sal Island.
By the number of fishing boats, we estimated that the camp supported 30 to 40 people. We were both curious and a fearful for our safety when one of their dinghies passed close to our anchored vessel, but we waved them over to confirm what they were doing and who they were. The fishermen told us that they were from the Dominican Republic and that they were camping on the cay.
We left at nightfall for Key West. We would have stayed longer, but were uncomfortable with the poachers in the area. The presence of these IUU fishermen in Bahamian waters is not only destroying fisheries and marine habitat, but it is also a deterrent to cruising vessels of the Bahamas, affecting the largest economy in the islands — tourism.
They feel free to anchor in Bahamian waters and leave men to camp on the uninhabited islands without a support boat closer than fifty miles away. We estimated each mini-fleet included a mother ship, dinghies and men, literally stripping the area clean of fish. The scale of the problem is well documented with credible evidence from legitimate Bahamian fishermen. A typical foreign poaching vessel is 65 to feet long, each supported by 20 to 30 small dinghies, and in the past few years we are seeing even larger vessels approaching feet with 50 or more dinghies.
Divers operate from the dinghies using hookah rigs and spears; with many going below 90 feet, harvesting deep water resources not legally fished by Bahamians. According to a scientific report by the Bahamas Lobster Fisheries Improvement Project, poaching by commercial fisherman from the Dominican Republic is the the greatest threat to Bahamian seafood resources.
The number of lobsters removed illegally from Bahamian waters by poachers was estimated at a staggering 35 per cent or 4. The report acknowledged as many as 65 foreign fishing vessels could be operating from northern DR ports, and lobsters are not the only species caught; Conch, Grouper, Snapper and other fin fish are also taken, and each vessel can land over 70, pounds of seafood per trip. We had very little data about the status of the birds, fisheries, coral reefs, seagrass beds, and small islands.
It was known to hold thousands of breeding seabirds, but the most recent scientific visits were in , and no one had ever actually surveyed the colonies. If the oil did coat the Bank, we would not even know what we had lost. The Bahamas National Trust, The Nature Conservancy, The Royal Bahamian Defence Force, and numerous volunteers quickly organized three trips in May, June, and July of to document the wildlife on the bank and to determine whether oil was reaching the islands.
As a volunteer on the first and third trips, I was astounded by the wilderness that we found. There were hundreds of uninhabited islands with little sign of humans except the occasional grave marker, ruined buildings from abandoned outposts, and plastic and aluminum flotsam from the Anthropocene.
These islands are still dominated by birds, sea turtles, and anoles. Thankfully, unusually strong easterly winds kept the oil in the Gulf of Mexico that year until the well was finally shut off.
While tens of thousands of seabirds died from the effects of the spill, likely including individuals that commuted to the spill site from Cay Sal Bank, the oil never reached the Bank in amounts that we detected.
It is separated by Santaren Channel from the Great Bahama Bank, the western rim of which is 50 km 31 mi to the east. Administratively, the bank and its islands are part of Bimini district, the main islands of which are km 93 mi to the north. The westernmost tip of Andros is the second closest point of land, approximately km 90 mi east of Cay Sal Bank. Cay Sal Bank is an atoll of roughly triangular shape, with a base along the south rim of km 65 mi , and a width of 66 km 41 mi north-south.
With a surface of 5, Among the atolls with some land area i. The lagoonal surface has a depth of 9 to 16 metres 30 to 52 ft. The individual islands i. Cay Sal Bank has numerous islets along its rim, except along the south side facing Nicholas Channel, where it has only rocky coral heads. It has a total of 96 islands, islets and rocks awash, with a total land area of The islands, rocks and reefs along the rim of the atoll are listed clockwise from southwest to southeast.
There are also a number of smaller, unnamed cays or rocks. Some of the historical Spanish language names of the features of the bank were replaced by English names when the Bahamas became a British Crown colony in the 18th century. Strictly Necessary Cookies Most of our cookies are used to improve website security and reduce spam. Enable or Disable Cookies.
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