Three Dangriga Residents Charged for Out-of-Season Conch
The early closure of the conch season and the coronavirus pandemic have also had an impact of fisherfolks. While they are still allowed to harvest finfish within the non-curfew hours, many have not been able to go out to sea so have lost their source of income. The vast southern waters are problematic to patrol, says Hampton Gamboa of the Fisheries Department and there are concerns that fishers are being encouraged to supply out-of-season fisheries products to individuals from neighbouring countries. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
Around one o’clock on the afternoon of April seventeenth, three Dangriga residents were intercepted near Twin Caye in the south. The men were travelling in a recently acquired boat and were heading towards Dangriga when the Fisheries Department, with assistance from the Belize Coast Guard, set chase after them. The cargo was tossed overboard and retrieved after the persons were caught.
Hampton Gamboa
Hampton Gamboa, Supervisor, Conservation/Compliance Unit, Belize Fisheries Department
“In the vicinity of the Twin Caye area in the South Water Caye Marine Reserve. There were three fisheries officers and two coast guard officers on that operation when they came across a vessel and upon trying to search the vessel, the vessel drove off and threw bags in the sea and the officers had to pursue. While pursuing a couple of officers went overboard to retrieve the product and the vessel continued to be chased and was finally intercepted and during the interception process there were three individuals onboard the vessel who threw away the two sacks.”
When the joint patrol returned to the location, a sack filled with two hundred and thirty-seven unprocessed conchs was discovered. The men have since been charged for possession of out-of-season conch; they were arraigned in the Dangriga Magistrate’s Court on Monday and the case was adjourned.
Hampton Gamboa
“These three individuals were then detained and informed of the offence that they committed and have since charged with the offense of possession of conchs during the closed season. Total quantity at present amounted to two hundred and thirty-seven individual conch during the close season. From the law the possession of conch during the closed season, there is a maximum fine of five hundred dollars under the regulations. And an individual can pay up to anything from twenty to thirty dollars per individual [conch] so you do the math depending on the range the magistrate uses.”
Hampton Gamboa of the Fisheries Department says that both lobster and conch seasons are closed, with the 2020 harvesting season for lobster set to commence on June fifteenth. He says that they have been trying to ensure that fishers adhere to the laws.
Hampton Gamboa
“For us this area in particularly in the south has been problematic because yes the fishers are entitled to go out to sea to fish—primarily it is only finfish, but some of these guys use the opportunity to do other illegal activity so hence the reason why we need to have continual patrols, joint operations with the coast guard.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
