The History of the Barbados Game
Fishing Association

When you live on 166 square miles surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean your options are fairly limited in terms of recreational activities. Naturally, the ocean forms an integral part of everyday life in Barbados, and this includes recreation as well as commercial activities. To fully appreciate the evolution of sportsfishing in Barbados, one must also have an appreciation for the history of fishing in Barbados and how it developed.

Barbados is the most Easterly of the Caribbean islands (13.1 N, 59.6 W), and was settled by the British in 1627, but this is a bit misleading in that native Arawak and Carib tribes inhabited the islands of the Caribbean prior to this. The native tribes were expert sailors and fishermen, but history is not clear on whether Barbados was inhabited at the time the British arrived. Archeological remains show that the island was inhabited by native tribes, and then the British, who, in 1640, brought with them indentured servants and slaves to work on the sugar plantations. This original labour consisting of Irish slaves and indentures servants from Scotland and England and Ireland were quickly surpassed by African slaves who were better suited to the tropical climate. Many of the Africans and Europeans were already accomplished fishermen, many of whom were sailors, political outcasts and prisoners of war. With a limited landmass of 21 miles long by 14 miles wide, inhabitants naturally turned to the sea for sustenance. The sea, in turn, handed over its riches in those early days and continues to this day.

Barbados has since moved from those early days of being a British Colony through the abolition of slavery in 1838 to becoming a totally independent state in 1966. The Westminster system of government has been retained, and the island remains a member of the British Commonwealth. Indeed, many slaves and indentured servants who once toiled under forced labour and turned to the sea which delivered them to this land as a means of sustenance, now have descendents that are today’s business and political leaders. The sea continues to deliver its riches, and Bajans as we are called continue to reap its rewards. Sadly, this apparently never-ending supply of wealth is coming to an end, and we who have been saved by it must now seek to protect it. Along the way, this changing demographic has seen many former commercial fishermen move up the financial and social ladder, and “fishing for fun” became a pastime. However, in the Barbadian context this is not strictly true, as many Bajans spend their days off on the sea stocking up on food for the family or as a means of paying a few bills. Not bad to be able to enjoy oneself and feed the family at the same time! Hence, “Pleasure Boats” are the term referred to by commercial fishermen for boats such as Sportsfishing boats that are seen out on weekends.

Sportsfishing in Barbados thus has a long history, but it was formally established when a group of local enthusiasts decided to form the Barbados Game Fishing Club in 1961 and move the sport from dockside boasting and banter to organized competitions. The Club was formed by notable persons such as Mr. Dennis “Gunner” Atkinson, former West Indies Cricket Captain, Richard Nicholls, Attorney-at-Law, Keith Murphy, Jim Fellman and David “Romper” Marshall and others, with the latter ‘Romper’ Marshall serving as President for 27 years, along with honorary members such as ‘Bunny’ Best and the late DeCourcey Jeffers steering the ship for many years. The Club introduced National Fishing Tournaments and encouraged the fun aspect of fishing, and in the early days even saw prizes for the person catching the most flying fish! The club has since been renamed the Barbados Game Fishing Association and is affiliated to the International Game Fishing Association and the National Sports Council.  The BGFA is responsible for all game fishing in Barbados and has firmly established itself as one of the premier Associations or Clubs in the Eastern Caribbean. We have played a leading role in encouraging other associations in the region, and today we have an active and enjoyable relationship with the associations from Trinidad & Tobago, Grenada, St. Lucia, Martinique,  Dominica, St. Vincent, Guadeloupe and Antigua. As a founder member of the Southernernern Caribbean Billfish Circuit we are committed to seeing Sportsfishing developed in the Caribbean. Indeed we have come a long way, and while Dolphin and Wahoo are still targeted for table fare, tagging and releasing marlin is actively encouraged and practiced. The island now boasts one of the premier marina facilities in the Eastern Caribbean at Port St. Charles, and of course a trip to these parts would not be complete without a sip of our world famous Mount Gay Rum.

The culmination of all our efforts has been Barbados International Fishing Tournament, which was started in 1990 and is has been sponsored for years by Sagicor (known previously as the Mutual Life Assurance) and Mount Gay Rum, and most recently Digicel have joined as a main partner. These main sponsors have assisted us for many years and this is one of the reasons why we have reached the point where our tournament has been accredited as an IGFA Offshore Championship qualifying event and allows us to send a teams to the world championships in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Our main offshore fishing season is from mid-November to May.  The BGFA stage a number of local tournaments during the season and the Barbados International Fishing Tournament is held around March/April every year.  The fish targeted are Blue Marlin, Sailfish, White Marlin, Yellowfin Tuna, Wahoo and Dolphin (Dorado).  The BGFA practices conservation, therefore all fish targeted have a minimum weight attached and a penalty for landing under-sized fish. Our records attest to the fact that we average 1 Marlin landed each year with releases averaging around 40.

We still have some way to go, but I’m sure you will agree that we haven’t done badly for a small island in the middle of the Atlantic!

James Peirce, BGFA Committee