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STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL ON CONCH CONSERVATION

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#TheBahamas, April 4, 2023 – The Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs (MOAMRFIA) continues its holistic efforts to manage the queen conch fishery on behalf of, and in partnerhsip with, the Bahamian people.  We are all in this together.  The need to balance urgent current needs against the absolute necessity for sustainability is at the forefront of the Ministry’s considerations.

This responsibility involves due consideration of reputable scientific studies and, importantly, the opinions of a variety of stakeholders such as the BNT and direct resource users such as fishers.  Future generations not yet able to speak for themselves are also heavily considered.

The Ministry continues to incrementally strenghthen the Department of Marine Resources, despite financial resource constraints.  The public may recall public launchings of enforcement vessels in various islands over the last two years. More are soon to come.

Fisheries officers have also been placed throughout the islands.  The officers are increasingly equipped with needed tools such as trucks in order to conduct enforcement patrols.  In addition, training and technical tools to scientfically measure the size of conch at landing sites have been supplied to fisheries officers.

Strategic enforcement partnerships between the Department of Marine Resources (DMR), BahWen, the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Royal Bahamas Defense Force and international partners are also at advanced levels of development.

Measures, such as a closed season, a minimum lip thickness of 14mm to protect juvenile conch, removal of conch from bag limits, the landing of conch in the shell so enforcement officers can determine maturity and other measures have received consideration. One necessary initial measure implemented in January 2021, included a ban on the export of commercial quantities of conch to help to reduce fishing pressure.

MOAMRFIA continues to strive toward sustainable management of the queen conch.  This will soon include consultations to develop a comprehensive management plan, further support for aquaculture, further enablement of Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC) to promote the use of conch shells, support for Bahamas Agricultural Health and Food Safety Authority (BAHFSA) to promote food safety amid occasional conch poisoning outbreaks and additional conch surveys to further monitor the state of the conch fishery.

The Ministry encourages all to do their part to protect our conch fishery and other marine resources.

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Husband Murder Plot foiled in The Bahamas; Wife and two others arrested 

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Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

 

#TheBahamas, August 5, 2023 – An American woman has been arrested in The Bahamas, accused of conspiring with two men, one of them alleged to be her lover, to murder her estranged husband.

The woman, 36 year old Lindsay Shiver and the two men, 28-year-old Terrance Bethel, the alleged lover and 29 year old Faron Newbold, were taken into custody last week following police investigation of a reported burglary at Grabbers Bar and Grill restaurant on Great Guana Cay.

The police looked into their cell phones and found WhatsApp messages detailing the assassination plot to kill her husband.

The couple, who built a life in South Georgia have three children and are home owners on the island in the Abacos.

News outlets throughout the US have reported on the scandalous story, including that a nasty court battle over the couple’s reported, $5 Million dollar fortune and three children was underway.  Shiver, an entrepreneur is a former beauty Alabama queen, her husband a former football player was an insurance executive.

According to US media, the husband, Robert, recently filed for divorce from Shivers after a decade of marriage upon discovering she had an alleged extra-martial affair with Bethel whom she met in The Bahamas.

While the husband claims infidelity on the part of his wife, the wife claims he was abusive.

The suspects Shiver, Bethel and Newbold appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Roberto Reckley on Friday July 28th.  Their next court date is set for October 5th.

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Alarming Sexual Assault cases raising fears in The Bahamas

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Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

#TheBahamas, August 5, 2023 – The Bahamas is now facing an unfortunate reality as sexual assault has become and is a growing issue since 2023.  Women and girls are said to be living in fear for their safety from these perpetrators.

The Royal Bahamas Police force has reported on instances of assault in press releases found on their Facebook page.

One report spoke of a 50 year old they were searching for after he burglarized a home and sexually assaulted an elderly woman, 82 years old.  She was reported to be asleep when he woke and assaulted her.

This took place on Tuesday July 11th, 2023 at the home in the Centreville area of Nassau.

There is another incident that took place on July 17th, 2023 which the police are seeking in catching the suspect as they investigate.  It involves a man believed to the perpetrator in for an armed robbery and sexual assault.

According to preliminary data, he approached the victim, a female, with a firearm, robbed her and sexually assaulted her.  He proceeded to enter the house and robbed a male and escaped.  This happened in the Cowpen Road area; also in Nassau.

The assaults continue to grow in number as the police reported that they were investigating two other incidents that took place on July 24th.

The first had to do with a female, 30 years old who reported she was driving on West on Marshall Road when two men approached her after she slowed down near Faith Avenue.  One of the males with a firearm, forced her from her vehicle and took her to nearby bushes where they sexually assaulted her after which they escaped.

The second incident involved à 32 year old woman who was sexually assaulted by a male known to her.  It is reported that she was walking in the Fleming Street area when she accepted transportation from the suspect, who drove her to a dirt road off Gladstone Road where he presented a firearm and proceeded to rape her.

Furthermore, another assault, this time involving a 9 year old girl, was reported.  As revealed by preliminary information, the victim was playing with friends outside where she lives on Saturday July 29th, 2023 when the suspect, a 42 year old male of Summerset Estate, driving a white Nissan Skyline, arrived and gestured to her to enter the car.

She entered the car after which he took her to an unknown location, threatened her and sexually assaulted her.  She was later found somewhere in Spikenard Road; this also happened in Nassau.

Fortunately, he was caught and arrested for abduction and sexual assault on Sunday July 30th by officers affiliated with the Drug Enforcement Unit.

There are other reports of sexual assault throughout The Bahamas as well as rape and attempted rape during the earlier parts of the year, dating back to as early as February.

 

CAPTION: Women Leaders, including Ann Marie Davis, wife of the Prime Minister filled the gallery of The Bahamas Senate this week as members of the upper chamber debated the Protection Against Violence Bill 2023.  The debate came just as the country experiences a spike in sexual assaults against women and girls.  Photo by Patrick Hanna, BIS.

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Premier Misick received a courtesy call from the Bahamas Leader of the Opposition

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#TurksandCaicos, August 5, 2023 – On August 3rd, 2023, Premier Misick met with the Leader of the Opposition of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, the Honorable Michael Pintard. The discussion was highly productive, and they delved into matters of mutual concern between their neighboring nations. Hon. Pintard was accompanied by other opposition members, including Senator the Honorable Darren Handfield and Mr. Joshua Sears.

 

Group photo caption:

From Left to Right: Mr. Joshua Sears, Senator Hon. Darren Hendfield, Premier Hon. Charles Washington Misick, Bahamas Leader of the Bahamas Hon. Michael Pintard and Deputy Premier Hon. Erwin J. Saunders.

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