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Presents BUILDERS OF TORTOLA |
Tim Jones Tim Jones or “Tim Fish” as he is known by many people in the BVI, has made his name as a professional fisherman – in the widest sense of that phrase. He currently lives on an estate at Paraquita Bay (“Nora Hazel Point”), with his partner Sue, where he works as part of the estate’s management team for its English owners.
Tim was born in Yorkshire (northern UK) but moved south to Reading University (west of London) to obtain a degree in Marine Zoology. He subsequently worked in this field for the British Ministry of Overseas Development, a job that took him to places such as the Solomon Islands, an independent country (1976) and member of the Commonwealth, in Melanesia. He later worked for the FAO (in Nigeria) and then the Commonwealth Secretariat in the British Virgin Islands. He came to the BVI to set up the BVI Fishing Company in ????. The purpose was to help develop the fisheries industry in the country. Tim soon built his reputation as a knowledgeable and skilful fisherman – and marine zoologist.
Subsequently Tim operated (with Sue) a well-known and successful charter fishing operation known as Pelican Charters. This operation specialized in offering full and half day deep sea fishing on a 45' Chris Craft out of Prospect Reef Resort, in Roadtown. The company also featured Anegada overnight trips, in-island family fishing with snorkeling, beach barbeques and island tours as well as whale watching of humpback whales with their calves from January through mid-March. Unlike some other kinds of economic enterprise in the BVI, however, changes beyond their control made Tim and Sue’s work harder rather than easier.
In time the fishing operation became less viable due to (particularly) increasing fuel costs, the distance from Tortola to the best deep-sea fishing grounds, and the difficulty of attracting the required numbers of tourists in the post-“9-11” world. Tim and Sue point out that their fishing operation had been a “lifestyle choice” rather than a going economic concern for some time and in the end it became clear that it was a younger-person’s lifestyle and was no longer economic enough to remain attractive. Changing regulations in the BVI with respect to living on boats, the decline of their home anchorage at Prospect Reef, and the numerical decline of some of their favoured species such as tuna and grouper also played their part in the demise of Pelican Charters. At the same time the rise of the cruise ship industry did not replace the lost customers – it is not really feasible for ‘cruisers’ to take long distance trips for fishing during a relatively short stay in the BVI. Land-based tourism did not increase enough to provide a replacement clientele.
One of the challenges for fishing in the BVI is the lack of scientific control that can be exerted over fishing outside of the territorial waters of the country, and sometimes within. Regulations may exist but they cannot necessarily be enforced. However, Tim and Sue enjoyed their charter fishing lifestyle for several years and do not regret their involvement in it, although they have moved on and “would never do it again”.
Tim Jones has undoubtedly made a significant contribution to the fishing industry in the BVI. He continues to do so as a resource for other fishermen and government officials who still mine Tim for his depth of knowledge of the industry. Although Tim sees many of the changes that have taken place in the BVI in a positive light, he feels that various aspects of the fishing industry could have been handled more effectively for the long-term future of the BVI.
Draft of April 17th, 2009 of interview of January 12th
Builders of Tortola Guide