Hol Chan Continues Fisheries Enforcement and Marine Conservation Efforts

Hol Chan Marine Reserve continues to work closely with the Belize Fisheries Department to enforce fishing regulations around Ambergris Caye. Alongside patrols, inspections, and public education, the reserve conducts conch population surveys and maintains mooring buoys to protect marine habitats.
Hol Chan operates under the Fisheries Department’s Ecosystem Management Unit and follows Belize’s statutory fisheries regulations. Its enforcement staff serves as fisheries officers, focusing primarily on the waters around Ambergris Caye and within the reserve.
The reserve’s Compliance and Enforcement Unit conducts daytime and nighttime patrols, including early morning and late evening operations. Officers can stop and search vessels and inspect restaurants and stores for illegally caught or undersized seafood.Before the conch season opened, Hol Chan’s technical team conducted stock assessment surveys at selected sites across the reserve. The surveys recorded the number of conch within specific areas, along with shell length and lip thickness, to help assess the population’s health and sustainability. Enforcement officers also conducted pre-season patrols and opening-day checks to monitor compliance.
In a public reminder, Hol Chan advised fishers that queen conch shell length must exceed seven inches, market-clean weight must exceed three ounces, and fillet weight must exceed 2.75 ounces.
A recent seizure elsewhere in Belize highlighted the continued need for enforcement. On September 29th, two days before the conch season opened, fisheries officers seized 1,086 conch at Sandbore Caye in Lighthouse Reef Atoll. Fisheries officers found the conch packed in two iceboxes during a joint patrol involving the Fisheries Department, the Belize Coast Guard, and the Belize Audubon Society.
Authorities charged one person under the Fisheries Resources Act with possessing conch during the closed season. The annual closed season runs from July 1st to September 30th, allowing conch populations to recover.
On October 7th, Hol Chan’s Education and Outreach Officer, Mariela Archer, said the reserve supports enforcement while helping fishers understand and follow the regulations. “We ask everybody to follow the Belize fisheries regulations when it comes to the closed seasons and sizes,” Archer said. She added that community members can report suspected illegal activities anonymously so officers can investigate.
Beyond fisheries enforcement, Hol Chan’s team recently completed mooring buoy maintenance at the Caye Caulker Marine Reserve. Officers installed two new mooring buoys on the fore reef, replaced four damaged moorings in the No-Take Area, and repaired or replaced four torn pickup lines.
Mooring buoys allow boat captains and tour operators to secure vessels without dropping anchors into fragile marine habitats. Their use helps prevent damage to living corals and seagrass beds, particularly in the fore reef and No-Take Area.
Hol Chan asked captains and tour operators to use designated mooring buoys and report damaged or missing lines. The reserve also announced plans to carry out similar maintenance within Hol Chan Marine Reserve.
Patrols and public outreach will continue throughout the conch season, with increased efforts if necessary. Through monitoring, enforcement, education, and habitat protection, Hol Chan aims to safeguard marine resources while supporting fishers and tour operators who follow the regulations.