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A group of men fish in the Caribbean. (FILE PHOTO) NASSAU, BAHAMAS Lawyers for a group of Bahamian women and their foreign husbands have filed a lawsuit against the government, claiming that the Fisheries Bill, 2020, is unconstitutional and discriminatory. The bill repeals the current Fisheries Resources (Jurisdiction and Conservation) Act, 1977, and prevents individuals who are not citizens of The Bahamas from engaging in commercial fishing. An amendment to the Immigration Act further ensures that work permits are not granted for commercial fishing. The originating summons, filed on January 8, is seeking a stay of implementation of the bill and amendment. It is seeking an injunction, pending the determination of the action or until further order, to restrain the respondents from taking any action to prevent, impede, hinder or otherwise interfere with the work or business of the applicants included in the litigation. ....
Govt sued over Fisheries Bill Fishermen, wives ask court to declare new law discriminatory Michael Pintard. A group of foreign-born fishermen, their Bahamian spouses and commercial fishing enterprises have taken legal action against the government, claiming that the Fisheries Bill, 2020, which specifies that only Bahamian citizens are permitted to engage in commercial fishing in The Bahamas, is unconstitutional and discriminatory. The originating summons, filed on Friday, lists Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Michael Pintard, Minister of Financial Services, Trade and Industry and Immigration Elsworth Johnson, and Attorney General Carl Bethel as respondents. The applicants are Morazan Zunig Jackson and Jaime Reynaldo Perez, who are foreign spouses of Bahamian women; their wives, Maria Jackson and Raquel Anthonya Major-Perez; and a number of commercial fishing enterprises – Fish Farmers Ltd., Three Ro Bahamas Ltd., 3 Kids Corp Bahamas Ltd., ....
[email protected] A Cabinet minister yesterday said Canada has promised to help The Bahamas combat illegal fisheries poaching in its waters by monitoring “dark ships from space” via satellite. Elsworth Johnson, minister for financial services, trade and industry and Immigration, said the changes introduced by the Fisheries Bill 2020 and accompanying Immigration Act reforms - which bar foreigners from working on Bahamian-owned fishing vessels even though they may have legal status in this nation - are “not of recent vintage”. Pointing out that successive administrations have been grappling with illegal poaching, and arguments over whether fisheries should be reserved for Bahamian workers only, Mr Johnson said the protection of this nation s marine resources was critical for the country s sovereignty and economic stability. ....
Minister of Financial Services, Trade and Industry and Immigration and Yamacraw MP Elsworth Johnson. NASSAU, BAHAMAS Minister of Immigration Elsworth Johnson said the government has “taken a stand” on access to the fishing sector and while there are those who have criticized amendments to fisheries and immigration regulations as discriminatory, the Constitution allows the government to “legally discriminate”. The Fisheries Act, 2020, which was passed in the Senate this week, prevents the foreign spouses of Bahamians from engaging in commercial fishing. “This is not a matter of recent vintage,” Johnson told the media. “The Constitution allows it. Persons can’t just come and decide they want to be an MP and you’re not a citizen or a senator or a police officer or any varied number of areas. ....
The Stena IceMAX drillship. (PHOTO: BPC VIDEO) NASSAU, BAHAMAS If the government wanted to get out of the Bahamas Petroleum Company’s (BPC) deal for exploratory oil drilling in The Bahamas, it could, suggested Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Leader Philip Brave Davis yesterday. BPC has announced that it commenced the drilling of its exploratory oil well on Sunday with drilling expected to take 45 to 60 days to complete and with “the highest environmental and safety standard”. During the PLP’s end-of-year press conference at the party’s headquarters, Davis was asked about accusations from the Free National Movement (FNM) that the Christie administration negotiated an oil deal that short-changed the Bahamian people. ....