Overview

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  The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries regulates fishing in the Bahamas in order to preserve the marine environment of the Bahamas Islands. There are fishing seasons for certain sea life, illegal fishing gear and methods, permits to obtain for vessels, limits on reels and size limitations on the fish, shellfish and crustaceans captured.
  
  

Illegal Fishing

• In order to protect certain species of marine creatures, it is illegal to fish for some fish and sea creatures or use certain methods to catch them. If a grouper or rockfish weighs less than 3 lbs., the catch is considered illegal and must be thrown back. While fishing for bonefish is legal, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries prohibits the use of nets and the sale of bonefish. Adult conchs must haves well-formed lips in order to be harvested. While fishing for hermit crabs or small reef fish is legal, neither can be exported. Marine mammals can not be fished, exported, or harassed in any way. You are not allowed to hunt Hawksbill Turtles or take any turtle eggs, but green turtles and loggerhead turtles can be caught if they meet certain requirements. The green turtle has to be at least 24 inches in back length while the loggerhead turtle must be at least 30 inches in back length. All turtles must be caught while on land. Catching any turtle between April 1 and July 31 is illegal since the season for turtle hunting closes between those dates.
  
  

Fishing Gear

• Spearfishing is allowed in the Bahamas with a proper permit (Reference 2), but not while using an underwater breathing apparatus. Though for residents of the Bahamas there is an exception. Between Aug. 1 and March 31, if you are a Bahamian you can obtain a permit to use a compressor but only in water 30 feet to 60 feet deep. If you are not a Bahamian but a visitor, you can use an air compressor for observation only. Spearfishing is not allowed in the coastal zone of Abaco. Any gear other than a Hawaiian sling that discharges missiles underwater is also illegal.
  
  Foreign vessels that wish to sport fish must first obtain a permit before the first of the new year and follow the rules of the permit. The only fishing gear you are allowed to use is hook and line, and only six lines are allowed in the water at once unless special permission is obtained. If you get authorization from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries for more than six lines, the permit price rises. While on the boat, there is a limit of how many fish you can catch. Any combination of kingfish, dolphin and wahoo can not exceed six fish per person. You may only catch 20 lbs of scalefish, 10 conch, and 6 crawfish per person. Under no circumstance can you capture a turtle in the water.
  
  

Other Regulations and Restrictions

• Other fishing methods that are illegal in the Bahamas are: noxious or poisonous substances, firearms and explosives, spears within one mile of the coast of New Providence and the southern coast of Grand Bahaman, fish nets with a mesh gauge of less than 2 inches, and scalefish traps that do not have a self-destruct panel. Long line fishing is illegal unless the Governor General grants you special written permission. Long-line fishing refers to a line or cable that extends 20 yards from the place it is cast and has 10 attached hooks.
  
  Crawfish must be 3 1/4 inches from the base of the horns to the end of the jacket, or 5 1/2 in tail length to be caught. You also need a permit to trap crawfish. The traps must be made out of wood slates that are not more than 3 feet in length, 2 feet in width, and 2 feet in height. The slates cannot be less than 1 inch apart. Egg-bearing female crawfish may not be kept. A female is egg-bearing when she has red masses beneath her tail. Crawfish season closes from April 1 to July 31.
  
  In order to catch a stone crab, the crab claw must be at least 4 inches. It is illegal to catch female stone crabs. The season for stone crabs closes June 1 to Oct. 15.