Information on the fishery sector of The Bahamas is far from being complete in spite of the remarkable efforts that have taken place during the last decade. Despite the fact that studies have shown that catches can be increased without seriously affecting resources, promotion of the development and expansion of fisheries activities are being hampered by the rather limited data base that is available on the fishing sector.
Limitations affecting available information are particularly serious in respect to some sectors of the fishing industry, such as small boats (which are not licensed) and foreign sport vessels that could be making a significative contribution to the economy of some of the Family Islands.
In order the improve this information the Government of the Bahamas has requested assistance to FAO to develop a capability within the Department of Fisheries to plan and conduct a fisheries census. The present document has been prepared in the frame of such assistance to provide basic information on census operations that will take place during 1993.
