Hol Chan Marine Reserve

After a five-year hiatus, the Holiday Lighted Christmas Boat Parade was held again in San Pedro Town on Saturday, December 14th. The event was revived by islanders Elito Arceo and Karen Canul, along with the San Pedro Tour Operators Association and Seaduced by Belize. This creative and colorful event was considered one of the best. The participating boats lined the eastern coast of San Pedro, illuminating the area with dazzling lights. Visitors and residents enjoyed the traditional event, which had been absent since 2019. The highly anticipated spectacle raised the bar for highlighting the Christmas spirit and concluded with a fantastic fireworks show in front of Central Park.

In the effervescent waters of coastal Belize, a culinary and cultural staple is at risk. The conch fishery continues to encounter growing pressure from overfishing and minimal harvesting size. Recent reports indicate that Belize's exports of Queen conch meat have seen a notable rise, doubling in volume from 200 metric tons (MT) to 400 MT between 2003 and 2018. The value of these exports has more than tripled during the same period, setting the Queen conch's position as the second most important fishery in the country, after spiny lobster. While the exact impact of Queen conch on tourism and household food security remains unclear, they are believed to be considerable. Strict and dedicated management efforts are critical to safeguarding this valued shellfish and ensuring that it doesn’t vanish from our plates.

The Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development (SACD) and a representative from the Belize Forest Department went on their first deployment within the Bacalar Chico National Park (BCNP) on Friday, October 4th. As part of their mission to protect and preserve this critical area, the team set up temporary signs, while permanent signage is completed to ensure clear identification of key areas. The primary goal of this endeavor is to facilitate movement through the park's intricate mangroves, wooded trails, and coastal terrain while ensuring the preservation and surveillance of Belize’s valuable ecosystem. After nearly three decades, the team has successfully located and upgraded outdated markers at seven important southern points within the protected areas.

So far, for 2024, the Hol Chan Marine Reserve (HCMR) has documented 63 sea turtle nests on the shores of Ambergris Caye during the nesting season. Most of these nests were found between Robles and Rocky Point, away from the busy areas of San Pedro Town. Forty-one of these nests successfully hatched, resulting in 2167 hatchlings entering the warm Caribbean shores of La Isla Bonita. Among these hatchlings were 1281 loggerheads, 798 green turtles, and 88 unidentified species, which are currently under further research for identification.

As of Tuesday, October 1st, the Queen Conch (Strombus gigas) season officially opened in Belize. As one of the country's main seafood staples and a leading export marine product, the opening of the conch season is a significant event for the local economy. Fishers in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, welcomed the anticipated season. They headed out early and returned later in the day with plenty of conchs in their first catch of the season. The queen conch season will remain open until June 30, 2025, or until the seasonal production quota is met.

In Ambergris Caye, the sea turtle season begins in April and lasts through November. Sea turtles hatch year-round, but their peak is during the summer. As of July 31st, the Hol Chan Marine Reserve (HCMR) turtle monitoring team has discovered 31 nests, of which 11 had to be excavated, resulting in eight successfully hatched and three spoiled. 416 hatchlings, including 81 green and 271 loggerhead turtles, returned to the sea.

The Belize Port Authority (BPA) hosted a week-long summer camp for the youth of Ambergris Caye from August 5th to August 9th. The camp took place at San Pedro Lions Den and attracted 28 children. The program aimed to involve the campers in enriching maritime experiences and provide them with insight into the BPA's daily activities.

San Pedro’s Omar Arceo, popularly known as the “Dr. of the Flats,” was busy during this summer break, traveling the country and teaching the youth about sustainable fishing. He joined the campaign in the northern part of the country and then visited several coastal communities across Belize, where he interacted with young children via the annual Fly-Fishing Summer Camp.