Over 1,000 feet of gillnet found in waters of Southern Belize

Posted: Sunday, December 8, 2019. 10:19 am CST.

By BBN Staff: Reports to Breaking Belize News is that researchers that were looking for crocodiles near the south of Punta Gorda town found about 1,500 feet of gillnet, the controversial fishing practice which has been debated heatedly in public recently.

Wil Maheia of the Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV) said that the researchers were out with a local tour guide seeking crocodiles when their boat ran into the gillnet.

On December 5, the Government issued a release informing the public of the measures taken to control and phase out gillnets.

“The use of gill nets will be forbidden in the southernmost waters, south of Punta Gorda, that are important for ecological and biodiversity conservation,” GOB noted.

Despite this declaration, GOB has been heavily criticized for turning down a $2 Million assistance package that would have provided aid to fishers in a phase-out of gillnet use across the country. This latest finding of such a large net also demonstrates the persistence of the practice among fishers in Belize, which is destructive to the environment and wildlife.

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