Cap K
I can only imagine. Let me guess, they were funded by US based, more specifically, South Florida fish houses/wholesellers and sold right here. Whatever the reason, the Bahamians abided. Please share the backgorund info you have. I hate to stray from the longlining topic, though. It's just that our friend Miami Angler's post struck me.
By the way, even deep dropping has slowed down in recent years in the Bahamas. Yeah, occassionally, we've had some good drops for silks, queens, grouper, even wreckfish, but the fish have been tougher and tougher to find.
I remember the days when, without any numbers and spots, you'd drop right off Bimini or Gun Cay and bring up rigs with fish on each hook. If you were a jerk you could drop all day and fill the boat. If you were cool, you'd make a couple drops and have plenty of cooler stuffers around the nice kings, wahoo, the one or two cobia from Sylvia or the airplane wreck, the two nice blacks, etc. Unfortunately, that's not the case at least off the west side of the bank. I know there are still some good spots off Andros, the Exumas, and farther but you have to burn gas far and it makes no sense with the limits.
It's a shame.
J