Living corals used as landfill on Bread and Butter Caye

The barrier reef is inarguably our most precious natural resource. The reef blocks the sea from covering coastal areas such as Belize City which is below sea level. It also provides spawning sites for many aquatic species; seafood for export and the beauty of the corals inspire visitors from all over the world to contribute to our economy. Over the past few years there has been an increasing number of damages caused to the reef. This month it was a cargo ship, the Westerhaven, which was impounded along with its cargo after it devastated a significant portion of the reef, near Stann Creek. This matter remains unresolved and G.O.B. and the owners of Westerhaven are still in dispute over a multi million dollar suit against the company. And now there is another case. It has been discovered that living portions of the reef are being used as landfill at a caye known as Bread and Butter located near the Stann Creek District. News Five’s Jose Sanchez sat down with James Azueta, Ecosystems Management Unit Coordinator at the Fisheries Department, who discussed this latest incident of exploitation of the reef.

James Azueta, Ecosystems Mgmt Unit Coordinator, Fisheries Dept.
“Well this case happened before the Westerhaven went aground. This is a case where there’s an island and the owners were actually taking live corals from the surrounding waters and filling in the caye. The caye is actually it’s Bread and Butter Caye in the Dangriga area.”

Jose Sanchez
“Now they have these live corals, exactly what were doing with it when they were collecting it?”

James Azueta
“They were collecting the corals to fill in a lot that they had actually encased and they were actually using it as fill material. And as you will se later in some of the photographs, some of the corals were definitely alive.”

Jose Sanchez
“What sort of charges can be brought against him?”

James Azueta
“The Fisheries Department brought charges against Delbert Cansio, the watchman, and then Duane Miller, who was the owner of the caye, we took them to court in Dangriga under the Fisheries Act we charged them and they were fined nine hundred dollars for the offence. Under the Fisheyes Act we can charge them up to a thousand dollars and six months imprisonment or both. But they were charged nine hundred dollars.”

Jose Sanchez
“Do you feel maybe the fines needs to be amended to be something more substantial?”

James Azueta
“Definitely and that will happen because the Department of the Environment following their investigation, they’re working with us also and there are additional charges that can go very high.”

Jose Sanchez
“The owner of the island, is he a Belizean?”

James Azueta
“The owner is a Belizean, he’s an Expat and definitely he was the one that pleaded guilty and he paid the nine hundred dollars.”

While the owner of the Caye got away with a slap to the wrist, Azueta says that the Fisheries Department is planning an educational campaign about the value of the reef system and other ecosystems.