Fish Kill Probe Focuses on Canals and Flooding

What killed thousands of fish in the Belize River Valley? Investigators are still searching for answers, but public focus has shifted to Santander Sugar and canals reportedly tied to its operations. Government officials say there is no proof linking the company to the fish kill, while satellite data suggests recent flooding may have worsened the situation. Britney Gordon takes a closer look.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Who or what caused the Belize River fish kill remains the big question. While some residents and environmental groups are pointing to possible runoff from canals near Santander Sugar, the Department of the Environment says investigators have not found enough evidence to support that claim.

 

Anthony Mai, Chief Environmental Officer

“We have satellite imageries currently that shows that a large area within the same agricultural sector, so the rice field, for example, and the southern portion of Santander farm and some other farms around during, just before the event were severely flooded. There was a significant flooding event, and we have satellite imagery to show  the area that was flooded. And we have when it was, when the flooded event started and when the flooding event ended. And that large amount of water from this field went into the river and may have or definitely had contributed, to the change in the aquatic ecosystem.”

 

Santander says its canals do not connect to Laboring Creek, which feeds into the Belize River. The company says it operates within a larger watershed shared by farms, homes, and other land users, and manages only twelve percent of that area. Minister of Sustainable Development Orlando Habet explained that the DOE cannot identify a clear cause for the fish kill without adequate evidence.

 

Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development

“What the report is showing is that, even some of the independent studies and people that went into the canal say, okay, this canal is coming from Santander. But it’s not that Santander is dumping directly into the canal. They have their ponds, leachate ponds and everything else. And when they overflow, they go into and eventually into the canal and then eventually into the river. But some of these farms also, I think two or three of them, also empty into the same canal. So that is why I say it’s hard to just pinpoint and say one. Maybe it’s all of them that are contributing.”

 

Habet admits that enforcement remains a challenge for the ministry and ensuring that regular checks are conducted; however, he maintains that this is an ongoing part of the ministry’s work.

 

Reporter

“I think the key issue is enforcement. The law is there.”

 

Orlando Habet

“No, certainly. But also you have to recall that there are certain regulations and laws that fall under a particular ministry and they govern it. So when you go there, now you have to make certain that they are also of the same understanding.”

 

The investigation revealed that Santander is not the sole agricultural site in the area that may be contributing to the fish kill. Dr. Donald McKnight, research director at the Savanna Field Station, says Belize must boost its enforcement capacity to ensure that incidents do not fall under the radar.

 

Dr. Donald McKnight, Research Director, Savanna Field Station

“Tighten up regulations in the area and make sure everyone is following throughwith the environmental rules that they’re meant to be following. Yesterday when I was on the river, I saw several drainage canals coming out of agricultural fields going straight into the river  and things like that are, are a real problem. Even if those canals didn’t specifically cause this one, it’s a recipe for future declines just like this.”

 

The DOE says Santander Sugar has cooperated with the investigation, but lab results are still pending to confirm what caused the fish kill. For now, researchers are monitoring the river as the water moves downstream and could affect other communities before reaching the sea. Britney Gordon for News Five.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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