The March 17 publication, describing Belize’s loss of a potential billion ($1,000,000,000.00) dollar sport fishing industry resulting from gill net fishing, was well received by the public. During TV broadcasts regarding gill net fishing, the phones rang constantly with callers supporting the outlawing of gill net fishing and providing additional reasons why gill net fishing should be outlawed in its entirety.
The reason for such great support is that there is nothing good that can be said about gill net fishing. It is all bad. It destroys employment in both the fisheries and tourism industries. Gill net fishing has destroyed Belize’s fish stock to where Belize will never gain a billion ($1,000,000,000.00) dollar sport fishing industry, such as the State of Texas gained when it outlawed all gill net fishing, unless gill net fishing is immediately outlawed. Gill nets catch and kill all protected species and severely deplete the fish stock.
The callers made it clear that outlawing gill nets will provide additional benefits that were not included in the March 17 article and that gill net fishing has had substantial adverse effects on Belizeans’ everyday lives.
They made it clear that gill nets that are described as the walls of death can also be described as the Walls of Deprivation. Gill nets deprive Belizeans of their birthrights, that is, the right to enjoy a repast from that which was easily caught or bought at a reasonable price, together with an economy that will provide a decent wage.
Those who commented made it clear that during earlier years, the fish stock in Belize’s fisheries was so great that Belizeans could depend on fish for their survival, even if they had little or nothing else. One did not have to go far or expend great effort to catch enough fish for his or her meals. Those who did not want to catch fish for their meals, could buy quality fish, of their choice, at a cheap price.
It was made clear that nowadays, due to their scarcity, the price of fish is so high that the poor cannot afford to purchase them and they are not available for the poor to catch. The middle class has to strain their finances to purchase what is available. The problem is compounded by the fact that the quality fish that were desirable for consumption are now seldom available.
Easter was, in the past, celebrated with the consumption of great fish dinners that were comprised of selected varieties of large quality fish. The dinners are still had, but the selected varieties of larger quality fish are no longer readily available.
There have been a number of writers during the past 10 years who have written about the gill nets and the destruction they create, without the politicians’ lifting a finger to assist the country or its people, by outlawing gill nets. It appears that the politicians do not care, or have conflicting interests.
On December 20, 2009, a December 16 letter from Charles X was published. The letter set forth important facts as to the great fishing of the past with advice therein containing great wisdom. The letter described how during earlier years he viewed “at least a couple of square miles that were teeming with the glorious “black fin cubali” and that the days of plenty are now long gone. He described adverse effects that gill net fishing had. However, all the cogent facts that have been published, setting forth the compelling reasons why gill net fishing must be outlawed, have not moved the politicians to outlaw gill net fishing and protect and save the fisheries, tourism and the country’s economy.
Writers such as Charles X, Meb Cutlack and others have, for a period of over 10 years, brought attention to the destruction of Belize’s fisheries by gill net fishing. The fact that nothing has been done to stop the destruction raises great concern.
When the destruction of the fisheries has been so open and notorious it raises questions as to who in the political arena profits by gill net fishing, and the destruction of the fisheries, to where the Government has turned against the people and allowed gill net fishing to continue to destroy the fisheries and the economy for so many years.
Where were the unions? Gill net fishing continues to cause loss of employment in the fishing industry. The unions that properly demand a decent wage for teachers, policemen and others, do nothing regarding the destruction of Belize’s greatest asset – the fisheries. If gill net fishing was outlawed and the fish stock restored, there would be additional money that would become available from both tourism and the fisheries to pay the wage increases requested by the unions, remove the necessity to borrow money and pay off the Super Bond.
An interesting consideration is where are the NGO’s and other conservation and environmental institutions that are located in Belize, to protect that which Mother Nature has provided? They receive money from their principals to conduct such conservation and protection that outlawing gill net fishing would provide. Where is the Chamber of Commerce? The fisheries were and are Belize’s potential for a billion dollar plus commerce. Before it is too late, immediate actions must be taken to ban gill net fishing and thereby protect and restore Belize’s greatest commercial asset – its fisheries.
If the fisheries are restored there will be increased employment in both the fisheries and tourism industries with an increase in income from both tourism and the fisheries that will bolster Belize’s economy and provide the required funds to meet Belize’s debts. The increased fish stock will provide a billion dollar sport fishing industry such as was developed by the State of Texas when it outlawed gill net fishing.
Belizeans must speak up and take a stance to outlaw gill net fishing, or the economy will continue to fail, poverty will continue to increase, the potential for the billion dollar industry will be lost and there will be nothing of consequence left for the children or their children.