Fishermen Voice Concerns Over “Resilient Bold Belize”

Fishermen in Placencia are concerned over the Resilient Bold Belize initiative, which aims to expand fully protected marine areas from 4% to 20% by 2026. They say the plan could limit fishing and tourism activities, which would affect the livelihoods of coastal communities.

Eworth Garbutt, President of the Belize Flat Fisheries Association, called the consultation process lacking and limited to a few. “Less than 1% of this nation know about the Resilient Bold Belize,” he said.

Garbutt acknowledged the importance of conservation but warned that expanding “no-take zones” could restrict access for fisherfolk and tour guides who depend on these areas. He called for proper consultation with the people who rely on the sea.

Garbutt also questioned the initiative’s focus, noting it protects coral but ignores broader environmental threats. “Whenever we say protection, it’s very important that we protect it from the threat. The threat of the coral is not the fishers. The threat of the coral is multifactored, but one for sure that stand out, sewer,” he said, adding that efforts should target overdevelopment.

Garbutt stressed that enforcement and cross-border poaching remain unresolved issues. “There are many ways to skin a cat. We have illegal fishing. If we really want to start on a sustainable way, we are losing revenue every year by the millions of illegal fishing because of the lack of enforcement, not because of the lack of protected area and paper. The protected area without efficient management goes nowhere,” he said.