Two fishermen busted for illegal netting
On Monday we reported on the arrest of two errant fishermen for the possession of a boatload of undersized lobster tails. Four days later, two other anglers have been charged, this time, not for the size of the catch but for the way the fish were caught. Setting of nets near a river mouth is illegal, but since the activity usually takes place at night it’s difficult to catch the perpetrators. A telephone call early Thursday morning, however, prompted a patrol to be sent out just after four a.m., to the mouth of the Sibun River. Unfortunately for the two surprised fishermen, top conservation cop Natalie Thomas was leading the charge.
Troy Garcia, Fisheries Inspector
“Well, responding to a report, Ms. Thomas was deployed to the area and there, she came across the fishing vessel along with the defendants, Asbel Coleman and Elder Coleman.”
Q: “What were these fishermen charged with?”
Troy Garcia
“They were charged with setting a stop net within the two miles radius within the mouth of the Sibun River.”
Q: “What does the law require?”
Troy Garcia
“Well section eight of the fisheries regulation SI, 66 of 1977 specifically states, that these nets cannot be set within two miles radius at the mouth of the Sibun River specifically, the Haulover river and the Belize River.”
Q: “In incidents like this, are the fishermen’s nets confiscated?”
Troy Garcia
“Normally the court would have the final say as to regards with the confiscation of nets. The law specifically states on the first offense the magistrate may confiscate the nets but on the second and subsequent offences, the court shall confiscate nets, boats engines, whatever.”
Q: “What happened in this case?”
Troy Garcia
“With regards to the Colemans, it was their first offence, their first conviction I would say and hence the magistrate was kind of lenient whereby he did not confiscate the boats, the boats and nets.”
Q: “Do you have any advice to fishermen out there?”
Troy Garcia
“My advice is to do the right thing because the Fisheries Department is alive and we are out there to do work.”
The Colemans appeared in Magistrate’s Court this morning, where they were fined four hundred dollars each. The men have until December twenty-third to pay the money. Meanwhile a total of two tarpon, five black snapper and twenty-seven snook were caught in the nets. The fish were filleted and will be donated to charitable organizations. The setting of nets at a river mouth will eventually eliminate fish stocks in that area, particularly species like snook and tarpon, and would cripple the sportsfishing industry as well as deprive future generations of a tasty meal.
