Residents of southern Belize, who still largely rely on fishing for their sustenance, are characteristically protective of their precious natural resources, and do not take lightly to unbridled and unsustainable exploitation.
So when Jamaican boats were seen fishing offshore Punta Gorda over the weekend, concerned residents of the South sounded a loud alarm in protest.
Fisheries authorities told KREM News that Jamaican vessels are not licensed to fish in Belizean waters; however, they are aware of a joint venture agreement with locals.
Amandala was able to view a copy of that agreement, signed by the Rio Grande Fishermen Cooperative Society Limited and P.G. Fisheries Company Limited, witnessed by Victor Vasquez, coxswain of the Fisheries Department, PG branch, and an official of the Department of Cooperatives.
Amandala tried to reach the chairman of the cooperative, George Ramirez, to find out more, but to no avail.
Placencia Peninsula Citizens for Sustainable Development (PCSD) wrote our newspaper expressing concerns over the development and the anticipation that, under the agreement, “40,000 pounds of fish [are] to be caught and exported every year when our fisheries are already heavily declining.”
“Five Jamaican fishing boats are now in Belize waters; they’ve purchased the two Northern Cooperatives shrimp trawlers to use for fish cage trawling, operating out of Placencia with no consultation with the Placencia Cooperative,” PCSD commented.
Local reports said that a large Jamaican boat, as well as smaller Jamaican fishing boats, arrived at the PG docks over the weekend.
“The Jamaican company has also reportedly purchased property at Mango Creek next to the Co-op there, and will be using this property as its base to fish out of the Placencia area,’ PSCD reports. It adds, “Last month Fisheries said that the Jamaicans had a license to fish outside the reef, hiring Belizean fishermen.
“Local PG fishermen say the cages brought to PG are for catching reef fish, not pelagic [open sea] species.”
Chris Harris, chairman of South Coast Citizens for Sustainable Development, wrote Hon. Rene Montero, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries today, December 7, noting “with extreme alarm the contract which has been signed between the Rio Grande Fishermen’s Cooperative Society, and the Jamaican company, P.G. Fisheries Company Ltd., on September 2, 2009.”
The deal was witnessed by Mr. Victor Vasquez with the official seal of the Fisheries Department and we therefore assume the department to have full knowledge of it, said Harris.
“We are astonished and outraged that the Government of Belize is prepared to offer unfettered access to a foreign entity to fish the precious waters of Belize,” Harris continues. “We speak for concerned citizens of Southern Belize, most of whom depend intimately upon the reef for their living, either through fishing, the gathering of conch and lobster, diving, sport fishing, or eco tourism.”
Harris expresses deep concern over what appears to him to be “unrestricted access” in certain arrears and the inability of the Fisheries Department to properly police these activities.
Conservationist Wil Maheia calls it “rape,” and expressed concerns that resources have been plundered to near extinction in Jamaica – something he does not want to happen in Belize.
“Apparently, fishing permits were issued to these folks without consulting the appropriate communities and agencies, nor was any research or studies conducted to see if our marine resources could even handle this kind of fishing pressure,” said Maheia. “The volume of traps on just one of these boats far outnumbers the traps that presently exist in the entire town of Punta Gorda.”
There was no consultation with the local cooperatives, much less the public; no details, said the PCSD. “This is stinking to high heaven.”
Amandala understands that a community meeting is planned for 3:00 p.m. Wednesday at the Father Ring Parish Hall to discuss the issue.
Maheia appeals: “I hope that the people of Punta Gorda, Monkey River, Placencia, Hopkins, Seine Bight and other surrounding villages will wake up and take action against this heinous act. All around us, fish stocks are disappearing. Guatemala, Honduras and Jamaica all have their eyes on our prize.”