Guatemalan Fishermen Saying No to a Gill Net Ban on Belizean Soil?

Last Friday in Belmopan, a group of fishermen picketed the Assembly Building in protest of a proposed ban on the use of gill nets.  Conservationists across the country, including Oceana, are lobbying the Government of Belize to prohibit the use of this destructive fishing gear which indiscriminately ensnares aquatic species not intended for consumption.  The issue is in itself controversial, dividing fisher folks who are for and against the use of the equipment.  To make matters worse, the group that gathered on Independence Hill was not Belizeans. In fact, News Five understands that they are all Guatemalan fishermen who reportedly entered the country illegally and journeyed to the capital city where they staged a demonstration without first seeking a permit to protest.  Earlier today, Wil Maheia of the Belize Territorial Volunteers explained what happened and how appalling a situation it is that not only do these individuals bear Belizean fishing licenses, but that they are boldfaced in their objection to a proposed ban.

Wil Maheia

On the Phone: Wil Maheia, Belize Territorial Volunteers

“I just think that it is brazen and feisty that the Guatemalans would leave their country, come into our country, no customs, no immigration checkpoint, passed the Punta Gorda fish market, boarded a chartered bus and went to Belmopan and took out their placards.  I think they did not know that in this country you needed a permit before you start to protest.  So when they got there, I think that’s when they realized that.  But, you know, my point of contention is the fact that they broke every immigration law, customs law, come in and dock at the market.  If a Belizean did that they would be arrested right away.  That bus went to Belmopan and at our capital, our nation’s capital and trying to protest and telling the Government of Belize that they can’t ban gill nets.  I think that that is ridiculous and I hope that the fisheries authorities and the government and immigration can identify those people that were at the protest because they can identify their faces.”