BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Mar. 5, 2020– Local conservation groups in Belize have appeared on the news several times over the past years as part of their rigorous campaign for the immediate and total ban of gillnet fishing in the country. The main participants in this initiative include Oceana and The Coalition of Sustainable Fisheries, an organization of multiple NGO’s who have tasked themselves with educating the public on, and promoting the use of, environmentally safer fishing methods.

In December, the Government of Belize did acknowledge the harmful effects of gillnet fishing; however, they argued that the livelihoods of the fishermen would be jeopardized by an abrupt restriction on the use of this equipment.

This was subsequent to an offer made by Oceana to provide a two-million-dollar compensation package, to fisherfolk for the surrender of their nets. Despite the Belize Federation of Fishers publicly expressing their willingness to relinquish their nets for the two million dollars, Prime Minister Dean Barrow ruled that the contribution was not enough.
The Coalition of Sustainable Fisheries has since engaged in its own efforts to provide funding for the cause and in collaboration with Oceana has increased the compensation to 2.5 million dollars.

Janelle Chanona

In addition, the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development and the Environment announced via a press release that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (M.O.U.) with the coalition, reiterating the plans to phase out gillnets by March 31, 2022 “or earlier when the livelihood transition of fishers is successfully attained.”
Vice President of Oceana, Janelle Chanona, said in an interview with the media that the contribution made by Oceana is actually $1 million, while the Coalition of Sustainable Fisheries provided the remaining $1.5 million dollars. According to Chanona, an agreement has been drafted by Oceana and has been submitted to the Office of the Prime Minister regarding how their portion of the $1 million will be dispersed:

“How we’ve designed it is that the fishers would be directly compensated through the Belize Credit Union League. They would get a monthly payment directly to them, and that would complement the other support that they would be getting through — I believe it is being called an alternative livelihood program or a replacement of the income that they would have derived from gillnetting”, Chanona explained.

The agreement also includes some stipulation in regards to the $1 million. Oceana is demanding that the government agrees to pay back the one million dollars in the event that a future administration discontinues the gillnet ban without providing justification that it would benefit the economy.

Chanona has pointed out that this stipulation mimics that of the liability clause in the Trawling Ban of 2011.