Coast Guard and TIDE Encounter Illegal Guatemalan Fishermen Near Corona Reef

Commandant of the Belize Coast Guard, Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, confirmed to News Five that Guatemalan fishers fired what they believe were gunshots. While the shots weren’t aimed directly at them, they were certainly threatening. Yesterday, the Coast Guard conducted an operation in Belize’s southern waters near Corona Reef. “We were patrolling from Hunting Caye, the southernmost island, towards the Sarstoon. This is a territorial integrity patrol we conduct periodically to ensure Belizean sovereignty over our sea spaces,” Bennett explained. The operation involved two vessels: one from the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE) and another from the Belize Coast Guard. Bennett mentioned that the fishers were already in Guatemalan waters when the shots, believed to be fired into the air, occurred. During the operation, the Coast Guard recovered eight gillnets, totaling over 600 feet, which were damaging the coral reefs. Leonardo Chavarria Junior, Executive Director of TIDE, told News Five that although this was the first encounter where shots were fired, “this will certainly not deter us from protecting our fishery resources.” He emphasized their mandate as co-managers to safeguard these resources. To cover more ground, the teams split up. The TIDE vessel, carrying two Coast Guard personnel, reportedly began pursuing a Guatemalan fishing vessel that had entered Belizean waters. According to Bennett, after the Guatemalan vessel crossed back into their waters, it fired gunshots—not directly at them, but in a clearly threatening manner.

 

On the phone: Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, Commandant, BCG

“The Coast Guard was conducting an operation in our southern waters as we frequently do.  We were conducting a patrol from Hunting Caye which is the farthest island in the south.  We were patrolling that location towards the Sarstoon which is a territorial integrity patrol from time to time to guarantee the Belizean sovereignty over our sea spaces.  Whilst on that operation, we encountered a few gillnets in the area of Corona Reef.  That is perhaps about six miles from the south of Hunting Caye.  We recovered eight gillnets on that operation, so it was a very tedious operation.  Whilst conducting that operation, the rangers from TIDE who were stationed at Hunting Caye also arrived on the scene and we placed some personnel on their vessel so that we can cover as much ground as possible, in order to recover those gillnets that were placed inside Belizean waters.  We had two vessels out at that location, one belonging to TIDE and the other one was a Belize Coast Guard vessel.  We separated and we started to recover these gillnets that are very damaging to our marine ecosystem and marine environment.  At some point, the vessel that belonged to TIDE where we had two coast guard personnel onboard and they were pursuing what appeared to be a Guatemalan fishing vessel.  The two personnel onboard that vessel reported that after the Guatemalan vessel had departed Belizean waters and entered into Guatemalan waters, our vessel stopped short.  We did not go into Guatemalan waters, we stopped short at that location and at that point, the Guatemalan fishing vessel fired what we believe were gunshots, not in our direction, or not in a direct confrontational manner, but in a threatening manner indeed at that location.”