Something meaningful happened last month, and I want you to hear it from me directly.
The Turks and Caicos Fly Fishing Association — which I serve as president, together with a dedicated group of experienced bonefishing colleagues — just signed an historic agreement with our Community College to launch the very first nationally-certified fly fishing guide programme this country has ever had. More than twenty young Turks Islanders are going to become the first certified flats-fishing guides in our history. It is a big deal.
Why does it matter right now? Because our islands are changing fast. Construction is everywhere. Enclave resorts are expanding across this small territory with what sometimes feels like no end in sight. The natural spaces — the flats, the fisheries, the ecosystems — that make TCI one of the most beautiful places on earth are under real pressure.
This programme is our answer to that. It creates real economic opportunity for our people — livelihoods built around protecting these waters, not developing over them. It ensures that local families like mine have a future in this place on our own terms. My family has had a relationship with this ocean since 1904. We are not about to let it go.
Talbot Adventures is one of the official practical training sites for the new guides. And I will be among the first to complete the certification myself.
The flats have sustained this community for generations. What we signed is more than an agreement between two organisations — it is a commitment to make sure the next generation of Turks Islanders can earn a living from the sea the right way, with knowledge, with pride, and with a deep respect for what these waters give us.
If you have ever spent time on these flats with us, you already know what is at stake. And if you have been thinking about coming back — now is a meaningful time to do it. Every trip you book with Talbot Adventures directly supports a local family business that is fighting to protect this place.
Read more about the MOU signing: TCFFA and TCICC Sign Historic MOU to Launch Turks and Caicos’ First Sustainable Fly Fishing Curriculum — Magnetic Media
With gratitude,
Captain Levardo Talbot
Talbot’s Adventures, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands
