A guest aboard a Carnival cruise ship docked in Nassau has posted a video of fishing from their stateroom balcony, reeling in a catch in what is undoubtedly a very prohibited act. But what do we know about who posted the video and what the cruise line’s policies may be?
Fishing From a Balcony Cabin
A guest aboard a Carnival ship has been videoed by a traveling companion while fishing from a balcony stateroom. The video, posted to TikTok by user Jessica Locklear (jessicalocklear02), shows the male passenger pulling in a fish from an obvious balcony cabin, while the female guest filming the video laughs and exclaims throughout.
No fishing rod is visible, just a lengthy piece of line and the spool it is from. As the fish comes closer, not only can viewers see that it is tangled in the line, but a hook is embedded in its mouth and small yellow lure and metal weight are also attached to the line.
You can watch the video footage below:
By size, overall markings, and the triangular body shape, the fish appears to be a buffalo trunkfish (also called cowfish, boxfish, or shell-fish).
The exact cruise ship is not identified in the video, but the male guest is wearing a Carnival Cruise Line sail-and-sign card. The blue card indicates this is the guest’s first sailing with the cruise line, as guests on their second cruises are issued red sail-and-sign cards, and higher loyalty levels have gold, silver, or white cards depending on their Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) status.
The video was posted on April 16, 2023, but there is no telling exactly when it may have been filmed. Background in the video is clearly obvious as Nassau due to the recent port improvements visible on the dock and the island’s distinctive water tower in the distance.
Several Carnival ships have visited Nassau recently: Carnival Sunrise, Mardi Gras, Carnival Elation, Carnival Paradise, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Sunshine, Carnival Dream, Carnival Conquest, and Carnival Freedom all docked in Nassau in the week prior to and including the video’s post date.
The TikTok account in question is not a prolific one, with just six videos posted and 728 followers as of this writing. The fishing video has been posted twice, and together has gone viral with more than 2 million views.
The video cuts off as the fish is on the balcony floor, and it is not known what became of the fish after the video, as no further updates have been posted. If the fish was tossed back overboard, it is unlikely to have survived.
Is Fishing From a Cruise Ship Permitted?
It must be noted that fishing off a cruise ship balcony is absolutely not permitted, as it would present a hazard not only to marine wildlife – there being no guarantee that any fish caught would not be protected, or other marine life such as sea turtles, corals, or stingrays would not be harmed – but could also be hazardous to the ship if items swung from a line onto other balconies.
Therefore, the individuals in this video likely broke several cruise line policies as well as local Bahamian law with this stunt if they did not previously apply for and receive the appropriate fishing permit.
While Carnival Cruise Line does permit fishing rods to be brought onboard their ships, such equipment can only be used while off the ship in an appropriate port of call.
The video in question does not show any fishing rod, just the spool of line.
Animal products are not permitted to be brought back and taken off the ship in the United States, and therefore if the individual did keep the fish, it would not have cleared customs inspection. Fish caught on an authorized shore excursion must be shipped back to a guest’s home.
