DANGRIGA, Stann Creek District, Tues. Jan. 21, 2020– Approximately 400 lbs of the out-of-season Nassau Grouper was found locked away in a container in two ice boxes in a yard in Dangriga.
The Fisheries Department said that the closed season for Nassau Groupers commences on December 1 and ends on March 31. The Groupers caught within this period are out-of-season catch, which is illegal.
Police and enforcement officers from the Fisheries Department said that they were conducting patrols in Dangriga to enforce the Grouper closed season, when they made the find at about 2:30 yesterday afternoon.
Police said that the fish were confiscated and handed over to the Fisheries Department, which is to dispose of them, and a hunt for the men who caught and stored the illegal fish has begun.
Hampton Gamboa, head of the Fisheries Enforcement Unit, said that they found 21 whole Groupers averaging 12 to 15 pounds in weight, and there was also an amount of fillet. The average price of Grouper fillet is about $15 to $20 per pound, and the average price per pound for whole Grouper fish is $10. There is a $1,000 fine for possession, and the offender also must pay $30 for each fish and $30 for each fillet.
The Fisheries Department said that Belize’s laws are aimed to ensure sustainable fishing practices, and closed seasons are enforced so that the fish stock can be replenished. Also, hundreds of people depend on the fishing industry for an income and livelihood, so the protection of the industry is very important.
He called on members of the public and establishments not to buy out-of-season marine products because this not only undermines efforts to conserve the stock, but it also devastates the industry.
Groupers are protected by law and any person who contravenes any of the provisions of the Fisheries Act commits an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine or imprisonment or both a fine and imprisonment.
Statutory Instrument #49 of 2009 Regulations, which applies to fishing for the Nassau Grouper (Epinephelus striatus), says that “(1) No person shall take in the waters of Belize, buy, sell or have in his possession any Nassau Grouper between the 1st December and the 31st March, inclusive, in any year; (2) No person shall take in the waters of Belize, buy, sell or have in his possession any Nassau Grouper which is less than 20 inches in total length, or greater than 30 inches in total length, and (3) Every Nassau Grouper caught in the waters of Belize shall be landed whole.”