Dear Source:
For nineteen years, the issue of gill net fishing has been discussed, debated, and legislated against. The newspaper articles outline the many detriments of gill net fishing, One of these detriments is that the nets are staying on the reefs, thus injuring the coral. Another problem is that the gill net fisherman dive down and anchor the nets on the reefs, thus ruining the reefs, and capturing small as well as large fish and other unwanted marine organisms. Additionally, with the nets tied to the reefs, the nets trap and endanger snorklers, divers, sharks, small reef fish, corals, and sponges.
One environmentalist says that parrotfish are necessary to the reef ecology as they clean the reef from algae. If all the parrotfish are fished out, or caught in the nets as explained above, the reefs will not be preserved and allowed to regenerate. Because of all these dangers, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources has banned gill net fishing as of July 2006.
By banning gill net fishing, nine commercial fisherman will be put out of their profession and so too will their helpers, cleaners, and restaurant workers. Local commercial fishermen supply 30 restaurants on St. Croix. If gill net fishing is banned, fisherman will have to revert back to using fish pots that must be left in the water for awhile and can be disturbed by boats and hurricanes.
In the collection newspaper articles we read in class, the opinions of divers, snorklers, environmentalists, government officials, and one fisherman, were represented to give us a balanced view of both sides of the issue.
Another fisherman, offers his advice in the Daily News on Saturday April 19, 2008. Edward Schuster explains that a National Oceanic and Aquatic Association's mandate of a 33% fishing reduction effort has not been met in order to reduce over-fishing in the Caribbean. Some people believe that gill net fishing contributes to this over fishing. In all the articles I read, only the government notice entitled, "Compatible Fisheries Regulations" stipulates restrictions of when to catch certain species of fish.
Schuster's article is a more comprehensive one. It outlines the problem of fisherman on St. Croix from 1989 to the present. It gives the differences in fishing practices between commercial and non- commercial fishermen that are not defined in the other articles. In response to this gill net fishing debate, David Olsen, former Director of Fish and Wildlife of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources has stepped down from his government post in order to work directly with these fishermen.
In my opinion, gill net fishing can be done successfully, but it needs to be regulated by the Department of Planning Resources and by the fishermen themselves. In the end, if the industry is regulated, both the fisherman and the environmentalists will be happy. I believe that fishing is a Virgin Islands tradition; eating fish is part of the Virgin Islands culture. We want this industry to be passed down to children of the island.
Elaine Rezende
St. Croix
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