November 30, 2009
Dear Editor,
There is an urgent need for a Minister of Fisheries who has knowledge of the Fisheries and its problems; a Minister who is interested in resolving the problems and whose word is his bond.
The present absence of such qualifications works a hardship on traditional fishermen. Fishermen’s livelihoods are being destroyed along with the Fisheries, as a result of the Minister’s failure to act and keep his promise.
Early on the Minister of Fisheries promised to cause legislation to be enacted that would ban net fishing. His promise appears to be worthless. Though he would like to receive from others, he has not kept his promise to have net fishing banned.
While the Minister of Fisheries does nothing to ban net fishing, gill net fishing and trawlers continue to destroy Belize’s fisheries and the livelihoods of Belize’s traditional fishermen.
Ninety percent (90%) of all gill net fishermen are Guatemalan citizens, who live in Guatemala. They invade Belize’s fishing grounds and take their catch back to Guatemala. Most are licensed to fish in Belize’s water. However, much of such licensing is a violation of Belize’s laws. Nothing has been done to prevent either the illegal licensing or the invasion of Belize fisheries.
The countries that have had the leadership and intelligence to ban gill net fishing have profited greatly. The banning was done before the fish reached near extinction. After the banning of gill nets, the endangered fish came roaring back. Those countries now have billion-dollar fishing industries for traditional fishermen. Belize’s chance of having a billion-dollar fishing industry is being lost by the failure to act, and the spurning of the rights of traditional fishermen.
Either due to other interests that prevail, lack of leadership, or indifference, gill net fishing continues in Belize. The failure of the Minister of Fisheries to keep his promise to have gill net fishing banned allows the further destruction of what fishing that is left for traditional fishermen, and denies the birthright of their children to have the benefit of viable fisheries.
Trawling in Belize’s water further destroys Belize’s fisheries. The Environmental Justice Foundation describes trawling “as one of the most wasteful, destructive an inequitable ways to exploit the oceans”. The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in describing trawling, stated “Trawling is like bulldozing a forest to catch song birds”.
Trawlers plow up the nurseries grounds of Belize’s fisheries. In doing so, they stifle the reproduction of species that are necessary to maintain Belize fisheries.
The situation of the fisheries is bad; the depletion of fish has destroyed the livelihood of hundreds of traditional fishermen. It appears that the Government now plans to make the situation worse. The Government is now considering granting offshore fishing rights to Asian countries such as Taiwan and Korea.
The granting of such rights would indicate lack of leadership and be the epitome of ignorance; it would disregard the rights of Belize’s traditional fishermen and their children and the children’s children. Belize’s economy is bad enough without relegating it to the lower level of Somalia’s devastated economy.
The media continuously publishes the problems resulting from Somalia’s pirates who kill crew members in capturing ships and thereafter, hold crew members and ships for ransom. The media is consistent in labeling the pirates as fishermen. They are fishermen who have turned pirates after foreign fishermen destroyed Somalia’s fisheries and left them without means of supporting their families and putting bread on the table.
Does the Government of Belize wish to create similar problems for Belize’s traditional fishermen? A leader is one who provides well for the people of his country. The welfare of the people comes first before foreigners, relatives or cronies. Time will tell whether or not Belize has a leader, and time is running. In a true democracy, the people own the Government and the politicians work for the people, not for their own selfish interests or gain.
Kenneth Gale