Wildlife Conservation Society Looks for the Fisher of the Year

The second annual fisher of the year award by the Wildlife Conservation Society will be presented on June twenty-ninth to a local fisherman or fisher woman who practices sustainable fishing for a living.  The deadline for submissions is at the end of the month and Assistant Country Director for WCS, Ralna Lewis is making the call for individuals to nominate Belizean fisherfolks who fit the criteria. Today, Lewis told to News Five about the month-long activities leading up to the award ceremonies.

Ralna Lewis, Assistant Country Director, Wildlife Conservation Society

“We are asking individuals who know of an outstanding Belizean fisher—one whose primary income is based on fisheries, who follows the fisheries regulation, who advocates for positive changes within the fisheries sector of Belize. If you know an individual like that, please nominate them for the fisher of the year award. Within the nomination, you need to write why you believe this fisher is an outstanding individual. You can do a written submission between two hundred and fifty to three hundred words or a minute and a half video in AVI format and you can submit to darzu@wcs.org or you can submit it also to the Punta Fuego Website.”

Ralna Lewis

Duane Moody

“How did this come about and the importance of it?”

Ralna Lewis

“This fisher of the year award is in connection with the fisher month which is celebrated annually through the Caribbean in June. So we decided to tie an activity revolving around fisher month and so we decided to do a fisher of the year award. And just to go further, for the month of June, we will be celebrating the entire month as Fisherfolk Month in Belize.”

In 2015, the fisher of the year award was won by Anna Ramirez from Punta Gorda.