Traditional fishing is a matter of human rights, cultural rights, and Indigenous rights.
The Bonaire Human Rights Organization (BHRO) views the treatment of Bonaire’s traditional artisanal fishermen, who fish with nets during the masbango season, as a matter of human rights, cultural rights, and indigenous rights, rather than simply a dispute over fishing regulations.
Protection of culture, natural rights, and International oversight.
Restrictions on traditional fishing practices raise serious concerns regarding the protection of Bonaire’s cultural heritage, traditional livelihoods, and natural rights. BHRO also emphasizes the lack of international protections and oversight mandated under Article 73 of the United Nations Charter for Non-Self-Governing Territories. This is why James Finies believes that listing Bonaire back on the Non-Self-Governing Territories list would help guarantee that native Bonaireans are protected against demographic and cultural erasure.
Finies emphasizes that for many Bonaireans, including his father, his grandfather, and generations before them, the masbango issue is not simply about fishing. It is about protecting culture, preserving tradition, respecting natural rights, and ensuring that fundamental human rights are not subordinated to policies imposed without considering the Bonairean people and their way of life.
Information recently emerged indicating that Bonairean fishermen were confronted and intimidated by port authorities while carrying out their traditional fishing activities. According to reports, these incidents are related to conservation and protection regulations managed by STINAPA and enforced in cooperation with the Harbor Master’s office (Havenmeester).
The controversy intensified following a public discussion involving STINAPA. Melissa van Hoorn, who previously worked for the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security, and Nature in the Netherlands and became Director of STINAPA in October 2025, did not personally represent STINAPA in this controversy. Instead, the director was represented by her subordinate, local official Leonel Martijn. Critics argue that a Bonairean face was put before the public, while policies and regulations continue to be directed from institutions linked to the Netherlands.
Public support across the Dutch Caribbean.
The debate quickly went viral on social media in Bonaire, Curaçao, and Aruba, where massive support was expressed for the fishermen. The discussion evolved into a broader conversation about culture, traditional rights, and the perception that local influence over decisions affecting Bonaire is increasingly being reduced.
Generations of traditional artisanal fishing.
The fishermen involved were catching masbango just as Bonaireans and their ancestors have done for generations. They are traditional artisanal fishermen, not large commercial operators, and they rely on knowledge passed down from generation to generation rather than industrial vessels, commercial nets, or modern fishing fleets.
The Bonaire Human Rights Organization (BHRO), founded by James Finies, has consistently expressed concerns regarding the impact of the post-2010 constitutional arrangement on the rights, culture, and identity of the Bonairean people. BHRO affirms that policies affecting traditional livelihoods and local communities must be developed with meaningful participation of Bonaireans and with respect for their culture, traditions, and historical connection to their island.
Bonaire Human Rights Organization