And so, while the tourism stakeholders have been getting some relief, there is still the issue of sargassum and how it must be managed. The task force with support from the Ministry of Tourism and other partners, including the National Meteorological Service, is developing a sargassum drift projection system with the hope that it can […]
A number of residents along the Philip Goldson Highway near mile fifteen, just after the Burrell Boom cut off, are expressing concerns over what they say is a health hazard in the area. They have been exposed to smoke and the chemicals from a nearby property where various items are being disposed of. Ray Cattouse […]
June eighth was celebrated as World Oceans Day 2019 under the theme “Gender and the Oceans.” Hundreds of Belizeans countrywide carried out different activities as they joined the international community in commemorating the day. According to a release from OCEANA in Belize, this year’s theme focuses on “the importance of gender equality, particularly for the […]
Another dead manatee – that’s the sad news that manatee champion Jamal Galvez had to share today. On Thursday evening, a passenger on a water taxi reported that the boat hit a manatee near the Radisson. Upon receiving that tip, Galvez went looking for the wounded animal hoping that they could rescue and save it. […]
Do you have what it takes to be the next Ocean Hero? If you have done any work to champion the protection and preservation of the ocean, then Oceana wants you to apply to become its 2019 Ocean Hero. Nominations opened earlier this month and closes in three weeks. Communications Director Alyssa Carnegie tells us […]
If you’ve gone snorkeling or diving off the coast of Placencia, there’s a good chance that you visited the Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve. It is a popular tourist site because it offers some of the best diving and snorkeling experiences in Belize. But outside of its touristic appeal, this protected area serves […]
Back in April we reported on the three Honduran fishermen caught illegally fishing within the Spawning Aggregation Zone at the Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve in southern Belize. But that is just one of the many illegal fishing encounters we have told you about and the Southern Environmental Association which co-manages the site […]
The Coalition for Sustainable Fisheries recently released the data on fisher folks in Belize. The data found that primarily along coastline communities, there are only two thousand, five hundred and thirteen licensed fishers. Members of the coalition, including conservations groups, have been lobbying with government to institute a ban on the use of gillnets. Today, […]
For almost a decade, the Fisheries Department along with its partners has been working on amendments to the Fisheries Bill. The amendments to the bill, if approved and enacted, are to more effectively and efficiently enforce fisheries regulations, as well as to encourage sustainable fisheries management. The amendments to the bill also seek to protect […]
Two U.S. nationals were rescued on Thursday night after their forty foot sailboat “Shambella” grounded on the Belize Barrier Reef. At around eighty thirty pm, the Belize Coast Guard received a distress signal from Shambella in the Sapodilla Caye Marine Reserve. A team from the Forward Operating Base at Hunting Caye was immediately deployed for […]
According to Lieutenant Soberanis, the couple was making their way from Cuba to Rio Dulce in Guatemala. Soberanis says that the captain of the vessel is currently detained at Hunting Caye until an in-depth assessment of the extent of the damage to the reef is concluded. Lt. Gregory Soberanis, Belize National Coast Guard “D.O.E. […]
The B.T.I.A. unveiled to its stakeholders and partner agencies a three-year plan for sustainable tourism in Belize. The objective of the symposium was to share details on how the association will assist its members in the transition to environmental friendly practices in an effort to maintain the vibrancy of the local tourism industry. As News […]
The University of Belize and the National Oceanography Centre in the U.K. signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday to advance marine science research in Belize. Both entities recognize the crucial role marine science plays in the sustainable use of clean energy, minerals and other resources and the signing formalises an already positive and productive […]
The 2019 Atlantic hurricane season begins on Saturday and will run through to November thirtieth. The forecast for this year suggests that tropical cyclone activity will be near normal in the Atlantic Basin which comprises the North Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It is predicted that there will be anywhere […]
Lieutenant Gregory Soberanis of the Belize Coast Guard led an informational session to discuss the Coast Guard’s state of readiness for the 2019 Atlantic Basin hurricane season. Lt. Gregory Soberanis, Belize National Coast Guard “One of the first things that we do is to activate what we call the recall system where we h […]
Three years ago, Ya’axché Conservation Trust began engaging students from communities within Ya’axché’s focal area, the Maya Golden Landscape, on the importance of biodiversity and conservation through its BioBlitz event. The event was held once more this year under the theme, “Empowering Communities, Conserving Biodiversity, Connecting the World.” The BioBlitz focused on finding and identifying […]
There was disturbing find on Saturday night in Toledo District. The headless body of a jaguar was discovered near the dump area of Punta Gorda/San Antonio Road. It is believed that the wild cat was poached and decapitated by persons who were ordered by local or international buyers seeking the head for display or for […]
Today, the Ministry of Agriculture officially launched the REDD+ Preparedness Project, a long-term forest-based initiative that seeks to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The project is the first of three phases of REDD+ implementation and is the preparatory phase for assessing, safeguarding and preparing plans for the next phases of implementation. As it pertains to this […]
The data on fisherfolk in Belize is out….today at Radisson, the Coalition for Sustainable Fisheries held a press conference to release the findings of data received from the Belize Fisheries Department through the Freedom of Information Act. The idea is to have government put in place a policy to phase out the use of gillnets, […]
Tourism Minister Manuel Heredia Junior will be heading to Cancun, Mexico next week for a meeting with other CARICOM members to discuss the issue of sargassum. The regional meeting will look at a plan to address the problem, which researchers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico say 2020 is going to be the worse […]
At noon on Saturday, hundreds of Belizeans created symbolic barriers against offshore oil drilling to commemorate the BP oil spill of 2010. It is part of OCEANA’s 2019 Hands Across the Sand initiative and today, Communications Director, Alyssa Carnegie shared some comments on the success of the activity which happens simultaneously across the world. […]
Over the weekend, Belizeans across the country joined hands on beaches, across bridges, in conference rooms and along seawalls and other public areas to celebrate OCEANA’s 2019 Hands Across the Sand initiative. The activity is to show solidarity against offshore oil development in Belize. The environmental non-profit reports that over two hundred ocean-lovers participated in […]
An online report is announcing that the Government of Belize, through the Ministry of Economic Development, Petroleum, Investment, Trade and Commerce has approved a production sharing agreement with Fire Creek Resources Belize Limited, an affiliate company of FCRL based in Calgary, Alberta. According to the company’s C.E.O., Dean Casorso, the P.S.A. gives the company “the […]
In 2018, News Five took a look at the crippling effects of sargassum, a brown, foul and invasive microalga. In October of last year, the Ministry of Tourism and the Belize Tourism Board worked on a plan to deal with the influx of sargassum which began affecting at least four top tourist destinations in Belize. […]
Representatives from sixteen Caribbean countries met today in Belize City as part of a four-day training working on oil spill. The training which was organized by the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency, Information, and Training Centre- Caribe, is intended for senior managers and contingency planners from national authorities responsible for oil spill preparedness, response, and cooperation. […]
