30/09/2026
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https://www.royalgazette.com/environment/news/article/20260922/government-outlines-bolstering-of-marine-management/
What about the other fish?
Government's latest update on marine management talks about better science, better data and new stock assessments.
That's welcome, but something is missing from the conversation.
We constantly hear about red hind and spiny lobster which proves debatable. Yet, Bermuda's commercial fishery isn't built around just two species (surprise).
What about the many other commercially important demersal fish that Bermudians catch and eat — lane snapper, triggerfish, grey snapper, almaco jack (locally known as Bonita), amberjack and others?
Government's own regulations recognise several of these species as fisheries resources, and Government has previously acknowledged that Bermuda needs management based on the status of individual fish stocks.
So where are the current, species-specific assessments for these fish?
Are their populations increasing, stable or declining?
Are they being harvested sustainably?
What does the scientific data actually show?
The Government is now introducing better digital catch reporting and broader monitoring. It says this will provide better data to support fisheries management.
That's a good thing but it also raises an important question:
a.) Shouldn't we know the condition of our commercially important fish stocks before making broad decisions about restricting access to fishing grounds?
This isn't an argument against conservation at all - sorry to disappoint.
It's an argument for good fisheries management based on good data — species by species, fishery by fishery.
If the evidence shows a particular stock needs protection, let's address that stock.
If enforcement is the problem, let's enforce the rules.
If habitat is the problem, let's protect the habitat.
And if the data show a healthy and sustainably harvested fishery, that should matter too.
Bermuda needs to know what is happening to ALL of its commercially important fish — not just the species that happen to have been assessed.
Better data should lead to better management.
So, simply put: where's the assessment for the rest of the fish?
And for the "its AI" crowd, once you get past the shock of fishermen being able to present multiple balanced arguments, perhaps a balanced conversation can be had on the value of the recent content instead of using the age-old deflection tactic.............
