Coalition for Sustainable Fisheries Weighs in G.O.B.’s Refusal to Ban Gillnets

The Government of Belize remains under sustained fire from the N.G.O. community after announcing on December fifth that it will not ban the use of gillnets.  OCEANA was first to respond to the disappointing news, issuing a release on the heels of that statement last Thursday.  The organization made clear that by refusing to prohibit the use of the destructive fishing gear, it was effectively walking away from a two million dollar package that would have been used to assist eighty-three licensed fishermen to transition away from use of that equipment.  Today, the Coalition for Sustainable Fisheries weighed in on the matter.  The organization has been working to develop a plan to ban gillnets across the country and equally expresses disappointment in government’s unwillingness to outlaw the use of the mesh.  Prior to G.O.B.’s announcement, a proposal to commit two million dollars had been tabled; monies which would have been used to fund the fishermen as they move toward an alternative livelihood.  Half of that sum was raised by the Coalition, the other half by OCEANA, and release of the earmarked funds was contingent upon government agreeing on a date when a ban would be instituted.  In the Coalition’s release, it states that unless a definitive timeline can be agreed for a permanent ban on the use of gillnets in Belizean waters, all funding raised by the organization will be returned to donors and the opportunity for external funding for this transition would have been missed.  It ends by saying that while the Coalition does not agree with the direction that government has taken to achieve a gradual ban on gillnets; it remains open to dialogue with the Ministry of Fisheries.