Be on the Lookout for a Manatee Entangled in a Gillnet!

Jamal Galves

And on the topic of marine animals, there is a manatee that needs help somewhere in our waters. Local manatee conservationist Jamal Galvez is asking the public to report any sighting of a manatee that is tangled up in a gillnet. The report was made on Tuesday by the Sarteneja Conservation Group on Tuesday. Galvez tells us more.

Jamal Galves, Programme Coordinator, Clear Water Marine Research Institute

“Apparently it has been sighted since Thursday of last week and they tried to rescue the manatee but wasn’t able to do so. So, they sought assistance and we went down yesterday to see if we could have provided some assistance to remove the gillnet from the manatee. But we were unable to actually remove it due to the water condition and the visibility was poor. The animal was in really deep water, so it wasn’t safe for human and wildlife to have tried to catch it so we decided to leave it be and try to continue to follow it to see if we can remove the net in the immediate future. But we did lose sight of the manatee and asking the public now to be on the look-out for a manatee dragging what appears to be a gillnet or buoys. So, please report it immediately because it can be detrimental to the manatee as it can result in the manatee losing limbs, eventual death, depending on how entangled it is. This is a very urgent matter and we are asking the public’s attention and assistance to be on the lookout if they see the manatee and report it immediately so we can address the situation.  We continue to emphasize and call out to gill net users, both licensed and non-licensed users, to be conscious of the impact this fishing gear has on the environment and to adhere to the fisheries regulation in regards to the gillnet. We are begging to the government of Belize, as well as these fishers, to try and move to a more sustainable fishing gear and not just for them, for us and the Belizean fisheries and our marine heritage as well.”

Jamal is asking the public to call him at 6153838 if you spot the manatee.