The Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE) on April 27, 2023, in partnership with the Belize Fisheries Department (BFD), hosted a fisher forum in Punta Gorda Town at the Father Ring Parish Hall. The objective of the forum was to sensitize fisherfolks on the rules and regulations of the zones within Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve (SCMR), as well as increase stakeholders’ awareness of TIDE’s role in the co-management of Cayman Crown and fish spawning aggregation sites, Rise and Fall Bank and Nicholas Caye.
A total of 38 users of the SCMR attended the forum, which included mainly fishers and tour guides. Presentations were made by the Belize Fisheries Department, Senior Fisheries Officer, Coordinator-Ecosystem-based Management Unit, and TIDE Project Manager, for SCMR.
Stakeholders shared their challenges, concerns and made recommendations for the improved management of SCMR; these included:
1. Charting a pathway to obtain a special license for traditional fishers to access the Rise and Fall Fish Spawning Aggregation Site (FSA).
2. Identifying and establishing a deep seas fishing zone within the SCMR Conservation Zone IV.
3. Potential benefits arising from the blue bond for local stakeholders.
TIDE continues to support the sustainable fishing industry in Toledo, by enabling the environment to allow stakeholders and the respective authorities to dialogue and come up with appropriate solutions.
