Community and Society
Killing of a Bottlenose Dolphin in Northern Belize
The Ministry of Blue Economy & Civil Aviation and the Belize Fisheries Department are saddened and express extreme displeasure with the killing of a Bottlenose dolphin in Northern Belize in the vicinity of Progresso and Little Belize Lagoon.
Conservation
Belize Fisheries Council Inaugurated
The Ministry of Blue Economy and Civil Aviation, headed by Hon. Andre Perez, held the inaugural meeting of the Belize Fisheries Council. The council serves as an advisory body to the ministry on all areas related to fisheries and fisheries management.
Community and Society
Lobster season officially opens; island fishers busy at work
For all those lovers of the Caribbean Spiny Lobster, the 2021-2022 season officially opened on Thursday, July 1st. Fishermen in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, set sail early in the morning and hours later returned with a bounty of tasty crustaceans that were sold and delivered to restaurants. The opening of the season also signals another anticipated event on the island - the annual lobster festival.
Conservation
New regulation introduced to protect shark populations in Belize
Shark fishing around Lighthouse Reef Atoll, Glover’s Reef, and Turneffe Atoll will no longer be allowed after the Government of Belize (GOB) officially banned this practice on June 25th. This new regulation was announced by the Ministry of the Blue Economy and Civil Aviation. It is welcomed by many environmental organizations, who believe the move will establish a haven for sharks across an area of approximately 1,500 square miles.
Conservation
Collaborative Partnerships Define New Shark Regulations and Cooperation with Fishers in Belize
Sharks are being threatened in the Caribbean and around the world. Belize aims to improve shark conservation and management with newly adopted regulations. The new regulations protect sharks as apex predators of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a World Heritage Site. Shark fishing will be prohibited within a two nautical mile radius around Lighthouse Reef, Glover’s Reef, and Turneffe Atolls, establishing a safe haven measuring 1,500 square miles. These recommendations were made by the National Shark Working Group, a team comprised of the Government of Belize, shark fisher folks, NGOs and researchers.
Conservation
Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease is killing Belize’s reefs; HCMR to the rescue
Since its detection in 2019 in the Bacalar Chico area, the Hol Chan Marine Reserve (HCMR) team and the Fisheries Department have monitored the spread of the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD). While observing its spread, they have engaged in field testing treatment options of the highly contagious disease that is rapidly killing healthy corals along the coast of Ambergris Caye.
Community and Society
Minister of the Blue Economy comments on the proposed development of Cayo Rosario
The controversial Cayo Rosario development of Ambergris Caye is again a concern to residents of San Pedro Town. The proposed tourism development, which has received environmental clearance and green light for construction, includes over-the-water structures. These buildings will be erected above protected fishing flats - the bloodline of the local flyfishing industry. The area also lies in the middle of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. For these reasons, stakeholders continue to oppose the development and hope that the new administration will intervene and save the multi-million-dollar industry, which is the livelihood of many.
Conservation
PACT Celebrates 25 Years of Supporting the Management of the Belize National Protected Areas System
June 6th, 2021 marks the 25th anniversary of the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT). The Trust was operationalized as a statutory body in 1996 as Belize’s national financing mechanism for protected areas and it has directly invested over $34 Million in the national protected areas system in addition to varied indirect financial support.
