tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89727285181865733342024-03-08T10:52:25.113-08:00St Maarten Country FishingAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06014658338255482579noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8972728518186573334.post-79685976718707817632013-05-12T17:07:00.002-07:002013-10-14T17:02:22.507-07:00St. Maarten 10-10-10,<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong><span style="color: blue;">Sint Maarten, officially the Country of Sint Maarten (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_language" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Dutch language">Dutch</a>: <em>Land Sint Maarten</em>),is one of the four <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constituent_countries" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Constituent countries">constituent countries</a> that form the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_the_Netherlands" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Kingdom of the Netherlands">Kingdom of the Netherlands</a>. It encompasses the southern half of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Martin" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Saint Martin">island of Saint Martin</a>, while the northern half of the island constitutes the French <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_collectivity" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Overseas collectivity">overseas collectivity</a> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collectivity_of_Saint_Martin" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Collectivity of Saint Martin"><em>Saint-Martin</em></a>.</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: blue;">Before 10 October 2010, Sint Maarten was known as the Island Territory of Sint Maarten (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_language" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Dutch language">Dutch</a>: <em>Eilandgebied Sint Maarten</em>), and was one of five <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_islands_of_the_Netherlands_Antilles" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="List of islands of the Netherlands Antilles">island territories</a> (<em>Eilandgebieden</em>) that constituted the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands_Antilles" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Netherlands Antilles">Netherlands Antilles</a>.</span></strong></div>
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<strong> </strong><span style="font-size: 19px; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal;">History</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: blue;">In 1493, during <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Christopher Columbus">Christopher Columbus</a>' <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyages_of_Christopher_Columbus" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Voyages of Christopher Columbus">second voyages</a> to the <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Indies" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="West Indies">West Indies</a>, upon first sighting the island he named it <em>Isla de San Martín</em> after Saint <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_of_Tours" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Martin of Tours">Martin of Tours</a> because it was 11 November, <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Martin" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="St. Martin">St. Martin</a> Day. However, though he claimed it as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Spain">Spanish</a> territory, Columbus never landed there, and Spain made the settlement of the island a low priority.</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: blue;">The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="France">French</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Netherlands">Dutch</a>, on the other hand, both coveted the island. While the French wanted to colonize the islands between <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinidad" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Trinidad">Trinidad</a>and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Bermuda">Bermuda</a>, the Dutch found <em>San Martín</em> a convenient halfway point between their colonies in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Amsterdam" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="New Amsterdam">New Amsterdam</a> (present day <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="New York City">New York</a>) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Brazil">Brazil</a>. With few people inhabiting the island, the Dutch easily founded a settlement there in 1631, erecting Fort Amsterdam as protection from invaders. Jan Claeszen Van Campen became its first <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Sint_Maarten_governors" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="List of Sint Maarten governors">governor</a>, and soon thereafter the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_East_India_Company" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Dutch East India Company">Dutch East India Company</a> began their salt mining operations. French and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="United Kingdom">British</a> settlements sprang up on the island as well. Taking note of these successful colonies and wanting to maintain their control of the salt trade, the Spanish now found St. Martin much more appealing. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighty_Years%27_War" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Eighty Years' War">Eighty Years' War</a> which had been raging between Spain and the Netherlands provided further incentive to attack.</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: blue;">Spanish forces <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_Saint_Martin" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Capture of Saint Martin">captured Saint Martin from the Dutch</a> in 1633, seizing control and driving most or all of the colonists off the island. At Point Blanche, they built Old Spanish Fort to secure the territory. Although the Dutch retaliated in several attempts to win back St. Martin, they failed. Fifteen years after the Spanish conquered the island, the Eighty Years' War ended. Since they no longer needed a base in the Caribbean and St. Martin barely turned a profit, the Spanish lost their inclination to continue defending it. In 1648, they deserted the island.</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: blue;">With St. Martin free again, both the Dutch and the French jumped at the chance to re-establish their settlements. Dutch colonists came from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sint_Eustatius" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Sint Eustatius">St. Eustatius</a>, while the French came from <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Kitts" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="St. Kitts">St. Kitts</a>. After some initial conflict, both sides realized that neither would yield easily. Preferring to avoid an all-out war, they signed the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Concordia" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Treaty of Concordia">Treaty of Concordia</a> in 1648, which divided the island in two. During the treaty's negotiation, the French had a fleet of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navy" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Navy">naval</a> ships off shore, which they used as a threat to bargain more land for themselves. In spite of the treaty, relations between the two sides were not always cordial. Between 1648 and 1816, conflicts changed the border sixteen times. In the end, the French came out ahead with 21 square miles (54 km<sup>2</sup>) to the 16 square miles (41 km<sup>2</sup>) of the Dutch side.</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://stmaartendeepseafishing.com/StmaartenFishing/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/caribbean-map.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-362" height="482" src="http://stmaartendeepseafishing.com/StmaartenFishing/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/caribbean-map.jpg" title="caribbean-map" width="701" /></a>
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<strong><span style="color: blue;">Although the Spanish had been the first to import slaves to the island, their numbers had been few. But with the new cultivation of<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Cotton">cotton</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Tobacco">tobacco</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Sugar">sugar</a>, mass numbers of slaves were imported to work on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantation_(settlement_or_colony)" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Plantation (settlement or colony)">plantations</a>. The slave population quickly grew larger than that of the land owners. Subjected to cruel treatment, slaves staged rebellions, and their overwhelming numbers made them impossible to ignore. On 12 July 1848, the French abolished slavery on their side of St. Martin. The Dutch followed suit fifteen years later.</span></strong></div>
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<a href="http://www.stmaartendeepseafishing.com/contact.htm" target="_blank"><img alt="Contact US" border="0" height="32" src="http://www.stmaartendeepseafishing.com/pictures/194612.png" title="Contact US" width="293" /></a></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="20th_century">20th century</span></h3>
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<strong><span style="color: blue;">After abolition of slavery, plantation culture declined and the island's economy suffered. In 1939, St. Martin received a major boost when it was declared a <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duty-free" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Duty-free">duty-free</a> port. The Dutch side began focusing on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Tourism">tourism</a> in the 1950s, with the French side following suit two decades later. Because of being split up into a Dutch and a French part, the tourist boom was heavier on Sint Maarten than on the surrounding islands. Its <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Juliana_International_Airport" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Princess Juliana International Airport">Princess Juliana International Airport</a> became one of the busiest in the Eastern Caribbean. For much of this period, Sint Maarten was governed by business tycoon <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Wathey" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Claude Wathey">Claude Wathey</a> of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party_Sint_Maarten" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Democratic Party Sint Maarten">Democratic Party</a>.</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: blue;">The island's demographics changed dramatically during this period as well. The island's population increased from a mere 5,000 people to around 80,000 people in the mid-1990s. Immigration from the neighbouring Lesser Antilles, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cura%C3%A7ao" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Curaçao">Curaçao</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiti" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Haiti">Haiti</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Republic" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Dominican Republic">Dominican Republic</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="United States">United States</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Europe">Europe</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Asia">Asia</a> turned the native population into a minority.</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: blue;">Sint Maarten became an "island territory" (<em>eilandgebied</em> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_language" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Dutch language">Dutch</a>) of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands_Antilles" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Netherlands Antilles">Netherlands Antilles</a> in 1983. Before that date Saint Martin was part of the island territory of the Windward Islands, together with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saba" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Saba">Saba</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sint_Eustatius" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Sint Eustatius">Sint Eustatius</a>. The status of an island territory entails considerable autonomy summed up in the <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_Regulation_of_the_Netherlands_Antilles" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Island Regulation of the Netherlands Antilles">Island Regulation of the Netherlands Antilles</a>. The island territory of Sint Maarten was ruled by an island council, an executive council, and an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrator_of_the_Government" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Administrator of the Government">administrator</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_language" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Dutch language">Dutch</a>: <em>gezaghebber</em>) appointed by the Dutch Crown.</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: blue;">On 5 September 1995, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Luis" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Hurricane Luis">Hurricane Luis</a> severely pounded the islands causing numerous damages 35 years to the day after <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Donna" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Hurricane Donna">Hurricane Donna</a>.<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">]</span></span></strong></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="21st_century">21st century</span></h3>
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<strong><span style="color: blue;">In 1994, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_the_Netherlands" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Kingdom of the Netherlands">Kingdom of the Netherlands</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="France">France</a> signed the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Dutch_treaty_on_Saint_Martin_border_controls" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Franco-Dutch treaty on Saint Martin border controls">Franco-Dutch treaty on Saint Martin border controls</a>, which allows for joint Franco-Dutch border controls on so-called "risk flights". After some delay, the treaty was ratified in November 2006 in the Netherlands, and subsequently entered into force on 1 August 2007. Though the treaty is now in force, its provisions are not yet implemented as the working group specified in the treaty is not yet installed.</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://stmaartendeepseafishing.com/StmaartenFishing/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/marlin2.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-365" height="450" src="http://stmaartendeepseafishing.com/StmaartenFishing/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/marlin2-1024x768.jpg" title="marlin2" width="600" /></a>
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<strong><span style="color: blue;">On 10 October 2010, Sint Maarten became a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constituent_country" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Constituent country">constituent country</a> within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, making it a constitutional equal partner with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aruba" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Aruba">Aruba</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cura%C3%A7ao" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Curaçao">Curaçao</a>, and the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Netherlands">Netherlands</a> proper.</span></strong></div>
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