BELIZE CITY, Wed. Aug. 5, 2020– The Corona Reef complex, located south of the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve, includes some of the healthiest coral reefs in the Mesoamerican Reef System. Cabinet has thus approved an initiative put forward by the Belize Coast Guard to designate the location as a protected area.

On Thursday, July 30, Hon. Omar Figueroa, Minister of Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment and Sustainable Development, signed a statutory instrument to protect the status of this important marine system.

This location is considered the most under-represented marine habitat in the Marine Protected Areas System of Belize, and is believed to be a biologically important area for the spawning of a number of finfish and a rich habitat for deep-slope snapper.

The Corona Reef is located next to the deep waters of Cayman Trench and attracts whale sharks, blue marlins, sailfish, and sperm and pilot whales.

The Corona reef complex is continually threatened by illegal fishers from Guatemala and Honduras, and the signing of this statutory instrument will aid in protecting our maritime border.