POTENTIAL EFFECT ON GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS
The question, as to what degree "Spirit of The Bahamas" might actually effect a changeover to more fuel efficient eco - friendly vessels, is dealt with, in part, on the web page "Principals". Only time will tell, however, and the best projections still remain simply projections.
The results of any such change, however, are self evident and the benefits are relatively easy to predict. Rather than attempting to deal with the entire planet in our projections, it is perhaps more efficient and equally as effective to use one nation as an example and then project the results on a world wide basis.
We have chosen the Bahamas as our example, primarily becuse of our familiarity with the area. Being a wide spread archipelago, this nation is positioned to derive the maximum benefits from any positive changes in regard to water transportation. (These circumstances will naturally have to be factored in when extrapolating findings on a world wide basis)
While the Bahamas, which boasts one of the highest, per capita, incomes in the Caribbean basin, should certainly be classified as at least a second world country, it's roots are firmly anchored in the third world. As such, it serves well as a median economy.
Like most island nations, for most of it's history, locally built vessels filled the inhabitant's needs in regard to water transportation and fishing. This has led to an excellent and well deserved reputation in regard to the construction of traditional working sailing vessels - which are sadly now only utilized in their famous regattas and occasionaly as pleasure craft.
More recently, they have earned a good reputation as builders of tough , seaworthy fiberglass skiffs originally conceived and still mainly used as tenders for the extensive fishing industry. Unfortunately, today, other than these skiffs and a few other exceptions, virtually all of the inhabitant's needs in regard to water transport, fishing and (equally as significant today) tourism and pleasure use, are filled by high cost, high powered, highly inefficient, imported vessels.
To begin with, the cost to the country (both purchase cost and fuel cost) in terms of foreign exchange is substatial. The direct environmental cost i.e global pollution and impact on non renewable resources, while significant, is not eperienced directly - as is the hidden enviromental cost which effects the nation directly and immediately.
This cost is the depletion of the contiguous non pelagic marine resources. Unlike many other island nations, The Bahamas has been blessed with an extensive area of shallow banks and a consequent large resource of inshore marine life.
As a result, virtually all of the commercial fishing effort has, up to this time, been focussed on inshore species such as crawfish, (spiny lobster) conch, grouper and snapper . These species, because of there habitat and their regular spawning aggregations, are very easily overfished.
Largely as a result of the sheer size of this inshore habitat, The Bahamas has not yet completly wiped out these species - as many other island nations have. However, spurred on by natural greed and by the increasinly high capital and operating costs associated with commercial fishing vessels today, the commercial fishing interests will surely remedy this situation sooner rather than later.
While we don't claim to be able to effect mankind's natural greed in one way or another, we do claim that low cost, fast, fuel efficient, seakindly vessels will reduce the financial demands on commercial fisherman and thereby hopefully reduce their demands on the marine enviroment.
More importantly, perhaps, the availability and use of such vessels will hopefully encourage a switch to the targeting of offshore pelagic fish - BEFORE the complete collapse of the inshore fish population which so many nations have allready experienced.
No doubt the sport fishing lobby will be up in arms over this suggestion - seeing as the offshore pelagic fish such as dolphin (mahi mahi) wahoo, tuna, sailfish and marlin are their targeted species - and perhaps (rightly or wrongly) considered their personal property. We readily acknowleding that all billfish are far more valueable in financial terms as a sportfishing resource and that, perhaps, this label should also be extended to include dolphin and wahoo.
It would seem, however, that tuna, considering their apparent numbers, the very small percentage caught by sportfisherman, their natural resistance to overfishing (without resorting to purse seines and longlining) and the extraordinarily high market price which they fetch, would be a natural candidate to replace the beseiged inshore species - in particular theNassau Grouper.
We believe that switching to low cost, fast, fuel efficient, seaworthy commercial fishing vessels - targeting tuna far offshore in the atlantic, with low impact hook and line methods, would be highly beneficial, both to the fisherman and to inshore fish stocks, and would have virtually imperceptible negative impact on sportfishing interests or tuna populations - locally or globally.
In regard to inter island water transport, as with most achipelago nations, there is a natural tendency for migration to the more developed islands. This trend leads to overcrowding and associated social problems in the more developed islands and worsening economic conditions in the less developed islands.
The most effective means, of stemming and even, perhaps, reversing this tide, lies in providing the less developed islands with electricity, running water, phone service, roads, and efficient fast, low cost, reliable air and /or water transportation. In recent years the government has taken large strides in providing all but the smallest of the "family islands with the basic utilities but air and water transport still lags behind.
Until recently, the only choice in regard to inter island transport has been between low cost, slow, uncomfortable, and unreliable water transport (via ancient mail boats) or high cost, often equally unreliable air transport. The advent of a modern high speed passenger ferry and a medium speed passenger / car ferry a few years ago has widened the choices somewhat, but fast comfortable inter island transport still remains relatively expensive.
The simple fact is that the short distances involved and multiple lightly populated destinations make the provision of regular scheduled air service an expensive proposition - especially so in reference to foreign exchange. Most modern high speed ferries with very high capital and operating costs, relatively deep draft and consequent requirement of developed port facilities fare little better in this respect.
Low cost, locally built, highly efficient, relatively fast, ultra shallow draft, passenger /light cargo ferries would be capaable of supplying the inter island transport needs of the nation at a low cost to the travelling public, to the foreign currency levels, and to the enviroment. Such a service might well prove to be the catalyst for turning shrinking "family island" economies and societies into growing thriving contributors to the overall economic and social well being of the Bahamas.
Being one of the major tourist destinations of the world, The Bahamas boasts a large fleet of vessels devoted to filling the needs of the tourist industry. For the most part, the design requirements of these vessels are not very high, basically they need to transport a large number of passengers relatively short distances in relatively calm seas, at relatively low speeds.
These design requirements are easily met by any number of foreign based boat builders and the capital costs and operating costs are not absurdly high. Nonetheles, locally built vessels could meet these demands at a substantially lower cost - and with a substantial savings in foreign exchange.
In regard to operations requiring, or benefitting from, higher performance vessels, the advantages and economies available through the employment of low capital cost, low operating cost, relatively fast, ultra shallow draft, very seakindly vessels are very significant. Such operations include sportfishing and day trips of all sorts to the family islands.
Lastly, in regard to pleasure boat use, the possibilities do not look nearly as promising. It would appear that for a long time to come, the pleasure boating image for the average Bahamian will remain firmly anchored back in the "Miami Vice" era. For whatever reason, perhaps partly because of influences going back all the way to the rum running days, the resistance to abandning the whole "go fast" image is very strong indeed.
One can easily imagine that, in years to come - with gas prices at twenty dollars a gallon, and the rest of the world having long since adopted highly fuel efficient vehicles of all kinds - in the Bahamas, the fortunate few, attired in half a pound of gold chains, will still be roaring around in their million dollar, two thousand horsepower, status symbols - throwing up six foot wakes and slurping up fuel (perhaps with a beer chaser) as if there were no tomorrow.
One can only hope however. Who knows? - perhaps the leopard can change it's spots! Or, perhaps, as suggested in the web page "principals", the herd instinct will eventually kick in - with beneficial results.
CAUTION - DEEP END
All information, directly related to this venture, has been included on the 2 HOME
pages. Those seeking further, in depth, information on a particular aspect of this project are invited to click on any ofthe following links.
2007
For info on current related developments, please vist the
following web sites:
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