About B.S.C.A.
Founded in The Bahamas in 2003 by grassroots action, visionary sports fishermen mobilized to address urgent needs in the industry to ensure its sustainability. The BSCA, as part of its mandate, is to actively identify the critical needs affecting the marine environment in general and the sportfishing industry, specifically.
Our Mission & Vision
Mission:
Our mission is to dedicate our resources to the conservation of our marine habitats, education of our people and the promotion of its sustainable use, through local empowerment.
Vision:
We envision a trusted conservation model centered around local citizen inclusion and empowerment, through the sustainable use of today’s marine resources for tomorrow’s future.
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Meet the Team
Our board members are active in the industry with most being guides themselves. They understand the industry and are passionate and committed to its long term sustainability. Other board members, although not guides, are active within civil society and directly understand the system in which we operate.
Captain Prescott Smith
President (Board Member)Prescott is Owner/Operator, Stafford Creek Bonefish Lodge, Blanket Sound, North Andros and is a co-founder of The Bahamas Sportfishing Conservation Association (BSCA). He has spent practically all his life in the marine environment, whether policing Bahamian waters against poachers or providing tours for anglers. Prescott loves swimming, windsurfing, flyfishing, deep sea fishing, bird watching as well as farming and reading. He has a passion for the conservation of our natural environment as well as empowerment of locals through the sustainable use of the environment to earn a living. Prescott has a number of certifications including a Master’s License, Mechanical Engineer’s License and is a Certified Scuba Diver. He is also a Fly-Casting Instructor at several universities in the United States as well as a Master Instructor in the Bahamas’ National Guides Certification Programme.
Cleola Pinder
Treasurer (Board Member)Cleola was engaged with a leading international financial institution for twenty seven years and was assigned to work on five islands in The Commonwealth of the Bahamas (Grand Bahama, Long Island, Andros, Abaco and Nassau); she was considered the startup specialist and launched 2 bank branches. She started her career as a bank teller in 1980 and retired as a Bank Branch Manager in 2007.
Ms.. Pinder’s management and financial experience prepared her for her next career as a business and personal consultant. In 2011 she started a weekly financial mentoring television program, “Let’s Talk Kingdom Business,” on the Bahamas Christian Network television.
Cleola joined the Bahamas Government Civil Service in late 2011 where she was trained as a Family Island Administrator, who performs the various functions under the relevant Bahamas Acts. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration Management and is presently completing her Masters in Social and Civic Entrepreneurship.
She believes that putting Christ first ensures success.
Captain Joel Moxey
Assistant Treasurer (Board Member)Joel is co-founder and past Treasurer of The Bahamas Sportfishing Conservation Association. He is Owner/Operator, Moxey’s Bonefish Lodge, Mangrove Cay, Andros. Despite his background in banking and accounting, Joel has great interests in flyfishing, fly tying and golf. In addition to managing a small bonefishing resort on the island of Andros,Joel has trained fly fishing guides in addition to working as a fly fishing guide and instructor.
Geneva Wilson
Secretary (Board Member)Geneva was educated at Saint Augustine’s College and the Bahamas Baptist College. She draws on three decades of management experience in assisting BSCA to solve some of the Bahamas’ most pressing environmental problems in the areas of climate change, fisheries management, habitat conservation and sustainability. Because of her passion about the sustainable use of the local environment for the benefit of all life, she inspires partners and supporters to be more engaged by tackling the most urgent challenges so that people and nature can coexist in harmony and prosperity.
She is an Agripreneur as well as the co-owner and President of Andros Chickcharney Farms, Baha-Luk’ka Crafts & Souvenirs and Goombay Air Bahamas Limited. She has been intimately involved with the flyfishing industry and marine conservation for over a decade and was instrumental in the advocacy and protection of the local flats.
Captain Kendal Williamson
Director (Board Member)Captain Williamson is a professional experienced Marine Pilot with over 22 years of progressively responsible assignments in unlimited berthing and unberthing of ships in the Bahamas. Captain Kendall I. Williamson is the Chief Pilot and President of Independent Maritime Services Limited also known as GBI Pilots.
Independent Maritime Services Limited is a group of maritime professionals providing a wide array of maritime services including Pilotage for vessels that call at the anchorage of Grand Bahama, Ship-to-Ship operations (STS), launch boat services and Pilotage services for vessels calling throughout the Islands of the Bahamas. Kendall Williamson was educated at the State University of New York Maritime College, where he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Transportation and Business Administration.
After graduating from the State University of New York Maritime College in 1996 he was employed at The Marina at Atlantis as Assistant Dock Master. In 1998 he was hired as a trainee Pilot at BORCO and became a fully cleared Marine Pilot in three years. Shortly after becoming a fully cleared Marine Pilot he was promoted as the Marine Operations Assistant (Marine Superintendent).
In 2005 Captain Williamson joined the Freeport Harbour Company as a Senior Marine Pilot, maneuvering the largest cruise ships, container ships and oil tankers that entered the Port of Grand Bahama. In 2015 Pilot Williamson and five other Marine Pilots were licensed by the Bahamas Government to Pilot vessels on the Grand Bahama anchorage, most recently the Greater Bimini Area and throughout the Islands of the Bahamas. Pilot Williamson has maneuvered over 17,000 vessels with zero incidents.
Captain Williamson is one of the founding members of the Bahamas SportFishing conservation Association and a board member. He is also one of the founding members of the Bahamas Natural Resource Foundation.
Erin Ferguson
Director (Board Member)Erin Ferguson is the executive producer and host of tv show Citizens’ Review. He was born and raised between Williams town and Sea Grape, his family then migrated to the USA where he attended Howard University in Washington DC. He and his brother are entrepreneurs and have diversified business interests in The Bahamas and the USA, he is currently the managing director of The Bahamas maritime pilots association.
Captain Shawn Leadon
Director (Board Member)Shawn is Owner and Operator of Andros Outdoor Adventures and co-owner of Andros Island Bonefish Club. He works as a Guide in both businesses. Finding that you are more enriched into your business by being in the field with your clients is his belief. Shawn is also a Board Member of the Bahamas Fly Fishing Industry Association being well diverse in Island conservation. The advocacy group which manages all concerns of its stakeholders. He has participated in numerous scientific studies on various marine biology. In the past, he has worked with various NGOs, which helped to secure the proclamation of the Andros West Side National Park, the largest park in the country. Fishing is his passion but his greater love is educating Bahamians and visitors alike about the environment and how important it is that we protect it.
Captain Denward Rankine
Director (Board Member)BIO COMING SOON
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