Fisherman busted for early lobsters

Earlier in the week we ran a story, pegged to the opening of lobster season, that stressed the importance of fishermen observing conservation laws. These regulations, it was explained, are designed to prevent this valuable resource from being depleted. But not everyone was paying attention, it seems, as today we received word from the Fisheries Department that a fisherman from Hopkins Village has been convicted of jumping the gun. On June fourteenth, just a day before the official season opening, Adron Lewis was caught with a bag of sixty-six lobster tails inside the marine reserve at Glover’s Reef. He was penalised to the tune of twenty dollars per tail plus a three hundred dollar fine and court costs of five dollars, or a total of one thousand, six hundred and twenty-five dollars, not to mention the loss of his catch. And that catch, according to fisheries officer Errol Diaz, was especially valuable.

Errol Diaz, Fisheries Inspector

“The lobsters are large because they were taken in a Marine Reserve, which is a no take zone. For conservation purposes, no one is allowed to take them so that they can grow and reach full maturity. The reserves are mandatory, so anyone who break the laws by taking those lobsters is a thousand dollar mandatory fine, along with the possession and so forth. But they are protected areas, and the reason there are protected areas is so when tourists and so forth come into the country they can enjoy seeing things that they don’t normally see, so these are probably about three times the size of ordinary lobsters.”

Lewis’ conviction in Magistrate’s Court took place without the defendant being present. Although he was ordered to travel to Belize City after being busted at Glover’s Reef, Lewis was a no show. If viewers are hungry for legal lobster they can find a bellyful this weekend at Lobster Fest in Placencia.