# Financing the Flats

*Published:* 2026-10-13
*Author:* Carlito Turner

***A Pioneering Business Accelerator Program Helps Grow Entrepreneurship and a Sustainable Blue Economy***

By: Sepp Haukebo and Carlito Turner

It’s a sunny day in The Bahamas, and you’re on a fishing boat in clear, shallow water. Out of the corner of your eye, you spot a rapid movement. You turn and scan the glassy surface for the prize: a bonefish—also known as the “grey ghost” for its stealth. Behind you, a local fishing guide stands on the boat’s elevated platform and, within seconds, calls out: “Bonefish—3 o’clock, 60 feet, moving right.” You ready your cast. If you’re successful, you land the fish and release it unharmed moments later.

Every year, over twenty thousand recreational anglers from around the world travel to The Bahamas and hire local fishing guides to help them land the catch of a lifetime. Bahamian guides are experts in fish behavior, casting technique, and local ecology—knowledge many have inherited through generations. They also serve as environmental stewards, community leaders, and the economic backbone of remote island communities.

Guides’ contributions to The Bahamas’ environmental and economic well-being are increasingly [recognized and celebrated](https://blogs.edf.org/edfish/2024/11/14/guiding-the-bahamas-to-a-brighter-future/), and a groundbreaking program led by the Small Business Development Centre of The Bahamas (SBDC Bahamas) recently addressed a key industry gap: access to financing. The program helped Bahamian fishing guides secure the capital they need to grow their businesses and expand their positive impact.

#### Flats Fishing: Catalyst for Conservation and Economic Prosperity 

Fly-fishing guides are leading advocates for conserving sandy flats, coral reefs, mangrove forests, and seagrass meadows. These ecosystems provide essential habitat for marine and coastal species, including those targeted by recreational and small-scale fisheries. In 2017, with strong leadership from fishing guides, The Bahamas passed the Flats Fishing Act. This landmark law protects key species, requires that guides be Bahamian (which provides fishing rights to locals and strengthens the incentive for communities to protect local habitats), and sets licensing requirements for anglers.

Flats fishing is estimated to generate $169 – 250 million a year for the Bahamian economy and support nearly 8,000 full-time jobs—many on sparsely populated ‘Family Islands’, where guiding often anchors the local economy, sustaining not only guides but also jobs in hospitality, transportation, and more.

[![](https://blogs.edf.org/edfish/wp-content/blogs.dir/18/files//Round-2-Drone-5.jpg)](https://blogs.edf.org/edfish/wp-content/blogs.dir/18/files//Round-2-Drone-5.jpg)PC: Harrison Hughes#### A Sector at the Crossroads 

Experts believe The Bahamas is only beginning to tap the full potential for this industry; demand is at an all-time high across the country and continues to grow. However, several major barriers stand in the way, including a shrinking workforce and access to affordable financing for guides and local lodges.

To sustainably grow the flats-fishing industry, The Bahamas needs to train and equip a new generation of local guides. Progress is already underway—in 2024, the first cohort graduated from [The Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute’s National Flats Fishing Guides Certification course](https://www.bamsibahamas.edu.bs/academics/flats-fishing). This program equips aspiring guides with technical knowledge and practical skills, using globally recognized best practices for safety, sustainability, and success on the water. EDF and the Bahamas Fly Fishing Industry Association ([BFFIA](https://bffia.org/)) have also launched a [national learning network](https://blogs.edf.org/edfish/2024/11/14/guiding-the-bahamas-to-a-brighter-future/) to connect guides from different islands and facilitate the sharing of expertise, best practices, and solutions to shared challenges like habitat loss.

Yet for both novice and veteran guides, access to affordable financing remains a major challenge. Operating a guiding business requires significant, ongoing investments, from boats and fuel to safety gear, insurance, and marketing. Whether a veteran guide is upgrading technology to improve the client experience, or a new guide is building their client base, reliable funding is essential. The guiding sector is often overlooked by traditional banks, often because of the misconception that there is little money in any type of fishing industry. The economic assessments offer a major rebuttal to that argument, and the industry is prime for investment that benefits small businesses, communities, and the lenders.

#### Equipping Fly-Fishing Entrepreneurs for Growth 

In 2025, SBDC Bahamas, in partnership with the Bahamas Fly Fishing Industry Association (BFFIA), the Ministry of Agriculture & Marine Resources, and the Bahamas Agricultural & Industrial Corporation (BAIC), launched the [Fly Fishing Initiative](https://sbdcbahamas.com/our-programmes/fly-fishing-initiative/). The program offered qualified Bahamian guides multiple funding pathways, including grants, microloans, and equity investments. In its first funding cycle, it disbursed more than $800,000 to 27 guide-entrepreneurs.

These financial resources are transformational, allowing guides to strengthen and reinvest in their businesses.

The program helped address a critical financing gap. Beyond financing, the Initiative also provided business development training in areas such as branding, digital marketing, customer relationship management, intellectual property, employment law, and bookkeeping. We look forward to seeing this initiative expand, and for additional finance opportunities across The Bahamas to sustainably grow this sector and the socioeconomic impacts it drives.

Together, this groundbreaking initiative by SBDC Bahamas and its partners provided much-needed resources that will build a stronger pipeline of current and future Bahamian guide-entrepreneurs, and support Bahamian-owned businesses in leading the country’s fly-fishing industry—a key to maximizing benefits for local communities. The work of the SBDC Bahamas and its partners provides an inspiring example of solutions that support local livelihoods and the planet.



Video source: SBDC Bahamas