Category: Environment

Earlier this week, marine experts raised alarm about Belize’s lobster stocks being overfished, warning that without urgent action, this valuable resource could soon be depleted. A former fisheries officer, however, had a different take, suggesting that climate effects and boat interference might be to blame for the lobster scarcity in some areas. He also pointed out that there isn’t enough research yet to definitively say overfishing is the cause. But the fishermen we spoke with, along with lobster expert Doctor Daniel Pauly, disagreed. Here’s Part Three of the Lobster Stocks story by Marion Ali.

Marion Ali, Reporting

Dr. Pauly debunks this theory and says there are indeed studies that have shown how and why lobsters disappear from certain areas, and it’s as simple as over-exploitation. That factor, Pauly says, has driven lobster stocks to the point of depletion in those areas.

Dr. Daniel Pauly

“When a fishery begins, it is always the ones that are closer to the coast, closer to the cities, closer to the ports that are depleted first, that are fished first. Why? Because you have a low cost of transport with a boat and fuel costs and so on. So, it’s always like that, that in fisheries as the fishery develops, the fishers must go further off because the ones that were near are depleted, are gone. So, this is not because the animals move; this is because humans have removed the animals that were close, so you have to go further off. And anybody who tells you that the fish have moved, or the lobster have moved, this is the reason why they are not there anymore – anybody who says that doesn’t know anything about fisheries, because this is the strongest pattern that happens in fisheries.”

The Sea Around Us Initiative conducted its own independent research to bolster this position, and the results of the study were published in March of this year. In agreement with the data coming out of these research exercises (slides attached in Dr Pauly’s folder) are the findings of lobster expert, Dr Mark Butler. He shared information about how lobsters breed.

Mark Butler, Lobster Expert

“Quite literally, the female produces an odor, a scent, that’s released into the water column. And that is what the males are then attracted to the females and come to find the females. But the mating process requires female acceptance.

They tend to mate sort of size-assorted. What that means is the smaller lobsters tend to mate with smaller lobsters. The bigger lobsters tend to mate with bigger lobsters. And one of the reasons for this, and a lot of our research has shown, is that, for example, if a small lobster mates with her, he cannot fertilize all her eggs because bigger lobsters produce more sperm to fertilize than do small lobsters. So big females have to have a big male to mate with.”

After the male transfers the sperm in a black packet on the underside of the female, she releases her eggs and scratches the tar spot open, which releases the sperm from the packet. She fertilizes her eggs, and they attach to her tail for approximately three weeks while they develop. During that time, the female lobsters take care of the eggs, grooms them and oxygenates them and releases them, usually further offshore, since larvae can’t survive in inshore waters. The eggs travel in the sea ocean for about 7 months and go through 24 stages. Depending on ocean currents, the last larvae stage called the perilous post larvae can literally smell the inshore and come in at night on a flood tide around the new moon. They seek inshore habitats in shallow waters that have algae, mangroves and rocks. This is why Butler says it is important for the Fisheries Department to protect these areas, to give the baby lobsters a chance to mature and reproduce. The maturation stage takes 18 to 24 months before they can reproduce. Lobsters reproduce every year and can live up to about 15 years, once they are not caught.

Back out on the patrol, the team searched the two fishing camps, but nothing illegal materialized. They pressed on, looking for more boats returning with their catch for the day. There was none that afternoon. The Ministry of the Blue Economy and the Belize Fisheries Department provided us with data that shows the most recent statistics on lobster tail production. Their slides show that the production of lobster tails increased over the past 22 years and claim that in 2001, Belize produced 440,000 pounds of tails for export, while in 2023, the figure increased to 636,877 pounds. This converts to US $11.7 million in export revenues, though the government did not explain the methodology upon which their results are based.

On the afternoon we accompanied the team, and it did not find any undersized lobster during their raids and searches. Belize’s revised fisheries law stipulates that for every undersized lobster tail found, there is a fine of a minimum of $50 per tail, along with a minimum of $1,000 for fishing for undersized commercial species. Marion Ali for News Five.

On Wednesday night, News Five’s Marion Ali kicked off an environmental series on the state of Belize’s lobster stocks. Research from independent NGOs like the Sea Around Us and the Belize Federation of Fishers warns that overfishing has pushed our lobster populations to dangerously low levels, and without strict measures, they could be wiped out. These findings have been presented to the Government. We also hear from two experienced fishermen who confirm that overfishing is indeed a problem. Tonight, we’ll hear from the experts representing these organizations. Here’s News Five’s Marion Ali with more.

Marion Ali, Reporting

Authorities are relying on a shift in its management policy that now require the legal-size of lobster tails fished to weigh more than four ounces, along with ramped-up patrols as part of the Blue Bond arrangement (a debt for nature swap) that Belize and The Nature Conservancy signed to in 2021 to give the lobster stocks time to multiply. As a result of the agreement with The Nature Conservancy, Belize must declare and protect at least 30% of our sea spaces. It’s an exercise that Dr Butler says is necessary to protect the stocks that are there now.

Dr. Mark Butler

“If it’s done right, they can support really healthy fisheries, you know, and it’s, and it’s, and we, as scientists, it’s one of the things we certainly want to do. We, we’re not trying to protect lobsters. We want to protect the long-term sustainability of the fisheries for the fishermen. We recognize that. But, you know, we humans, if we are not watched and regulated and so on and so forth, we tend to overuse our resources. And that’s why fishermen are just like the rest of us. And if there aren’t regulations, you know, then there could be problems with the fishery. So that’s why we need fishery regulations, not that we’re not trying to keep fishermen from catching fishes or lobsters in this case, we’re simply trying to manage it for the long term.”

Benedicto Perez has been a fisherman for 21 years. He told News Five that there are young fishermen who fish undersized marine products.

Benedicto Perez, Fisherman

“Sometimes it does happen that the newcomers, the new fishermen coming into the industry, don’t have much experience about where to find them and how to find lobster. So they will come and they will just target the easiest thing out there, whatever it is fish, Illegal stuff, whatever – they’ll just go and target the easiest thing because they want to make money.”

Supporting Perez’ observation is Humberto Avilez, who has been fishing for 38 years. He agrees that there is overfishing of lobsters, and he attributes that to what he thinks is an overabundance of fishing licenses and not enough patrols.

Humberto Avilez, Fisherman

“Right now there’s too many fishermen, not like when I used to fish. It was a little bit of fishermen. The boats now are carrying 15 men in one boat. Some are carrying 10 men in one boat. The sea is getting more populated, too many men, overfishing. They got one boat patrol in the morning. By the time he goh to five miles and come back, man, already … then it takes a whole day to come back. They need more patrols. That’s the only way they stop illegal fishing.”

Boat license. two, three, four, five, six; two more persons. Hampton Gamboa told News Five that asking fishermen to produce their fishing licenses has become standard procedure for every patrol, as well as is documenting what they find, including the names of the vessels moored at the locations where they are found. If anything is found to be awry, arrests follow, he assured.

Hampton Gamboa

“The highest registered commercial fishers for any one given year was 3,800 fishers, and that was a couple years ago – about 2021 or 22. This year so far, we are a little bit more than halfway through the year and we still haven’t had 3,000 fishermen come in as yet. So last year’s number dropped significantly.”

Benedicto Perez said that he has discovered that areas where lobster once populated are bare now and has also seen areas that never had them are populated now.

Benedicto Perez

“This year I have seen more abundant lobster in this particular area because the lobster – you need to understand and I have a lot of knowledge about lobster. My first two trips of this season I did it down south. Lobster was scarcely bad. Some people are saying that it’s because of illegal fishing – people from the neighboring countries coming close because it was all the way down south, so people are saying that. Maybe it could be or maybe it’s just the way lobsters migrate. Okay for me in that case it depends on the weather, tropical storms, cold fronts and things like that.”

Dwight Neal says he believes that there have not been sufficient independent studies done to definitively pinpoint the reasons why the lobsters now populate different areas, but he offered his opinion.

Dwight Neal, Marine Biologist

“There are several variables, climate change being one of them, changes in user patterns or usage patterns because if you notice, years ago, there were not as many boats around. There was not as much traffic, particularly between Belize City and San Pedro, that entire corridor that goes just west of St. George’s Caye and goes through Port of Stock and goes to Caye Caulker. When I started with the Fisheries Department many years ago, there were very few boats that were trafficking that area. Now there are boats almost every hour, almost every half an hour. So that in itself is a disturbance to the habitat. It’s incumbent on the scientists and the managers to investigate what’s happening there.”

This story was produced with support from Internews’ Earth Journalism Network.

You’ve probably walked past a pile of garbage and cringed at the sight and smell. It’s not just an eyesore; it attracts pests and rodents that can spread diseases. A lot of the trash in Belize is made up of recyclable materials, like plastics. Plastic bags, for example, take ten to twenty years to break down, lingering in the environment. Studies show that plastics and microplastics have infiltrated all levels of the ocean’s food chain and are also clogging our drainage and waterways in Belize. Plastics can bind with harmful chemicals, known as persistent organic pollutants, which pose a threat to the reproductive systems, growth, and health of animals that consume contaminated food. Plastic bottles can take hundreds of years to decompose. In this edition of our Five Point Breakdown, News Five explores the issue of plastic waste and how recycling efforts can help mitigate its environmental impact. Here’s Marion Ali with the report.

Marion Ali, Reporting

Plastics – they’re absolutely everywhere! Whether you’re at home, in the office, or shopping at the supermarket, you can’t escape them. They’re probably the most common items you’ll find in any building, unless there’s a ban in place and alternatives are being used. While many countries see plastics as a necessary evil, there are ways we can cut down on the plastic waste we generate. Dr. Arlenie Rogers, an Assistant Professor in Marine Biology at the University of Belize, suggests two key strategies: one proactive and the other reactive.

Minimizing Plastic Waste by Education & Recycling

Dr. Arlenie Rogers, Assistant Professor, Marine Biology, U.B.

“If we  educate people, people  will know, people will become more aware on how to recycle, but if we don’t have the right legislation in place, for example, a requirement where we have to separate our garbage into recyclables and garbage that cannot be recycled, then it’s going to be easier  for people that collect recycling products at the landfill,  or sorry, not at the landfill, at the transfer stations. And they will have less exposure to chemicals and other dangerous materials when garbage is all in one bag.”

Marion Ali

“One company in Belize wants to make a difference with the plastic garbage that we produce. Businessman Freddy Oriana is hoping to seek funding to be able to expand his Belize Recycling Company Limited at mile eight on the George Price Highway to be able to convert the plastic garbage into building materials such as plastic wood.”

Freddy Orellana, Owner, Belize Recycling Company Ltd.

“Mostly it’s the wood because you can make it different sizes and for different purposes too. You can build garbage bins, you can build chairs, you know, like picnic tables and things like that.”

Orellana shared that his company used to buy plastic waste to export to Guatemala, where it would be transformed into useful items. However, with the drop in purchasing prices, he’s had to hit pause on that part of the business. Despite this, he’s still happy to accept plastic donations, storing them with the hope that his recycling dream will soon come to life. His goal? To produce plastic wood as a sustainable building material.

Freddy Orellana

“If people want to bring it and donate it here, we process it and we file it and bail it and keep it. We visited various businesses in other countries, and they have strewing machines that have different molds, and we can use all the plastics to make this that we call plastic wood. You can add different colors, you can make different shapes. You can even build houses with it.  This has a lot of benefits because it’s fire resistant, like bullets will be really hard to work through it.”

Orellana mentioned that plastic wood is actually tougher for bullets to penetrate compared to regular lumber.

(The Benefits of Building with Plastic Wood)

Freddy Orellana

“We had here a robbery at night and then somebody came with a gun and shot at the security guard, and then it went through the wood, but it wouldn’t go through this. So, this basically saved the person’s life.”

Luis Garcia, President, Belize Recyclers and Waste Management Association

“We’re gearing towards being that loophole between the private sector and government – that crossroads of building recycling opportunities in Belize. When we mean recycling, we mean doing recycling in Belize and selling recyclables out of Belize.”

Luis Garcia, the president of the newly formed Belize Recyclers and Waste Management Association, leads a group of over twenty passionate individuals and businesses united by a single mission: cutting down on plastic waste. They are currently exploring ways for Belize to make some cash by exporting plastic waste.

(Exploring Plastic Garbage as Part of Circular Economy)

Luis Garcia

“We have an interest from Taiwan of buying all the plastic bags from the banana industries, and we’re looking at tons of plastics there. So there is an interest there. There’s also an interest on the pet plastic, which is what is used for soft drinks. So we do have a lot of, interests that are already on the table, but we still need to put everything together and to make sure that we meet the volumes that make it sustainable.  By just picking up a few crocus bags here and there, we just have to sell it to the nearest buyer, which would be Guatemala or Mexico. But if we can actually put everything together, all the efforts together and put policy in order, then we can actually build a recycling opportunity for Belize and develop recycling as a business and not just as an environmental willingness of people.”

Dr. Rogers believes that if Belize had laws requiring us to separate our garbage, it would make everyone responsible for not just reducing, but also organizing the waste we create, much of which is plastic.

(Separating Garbage Protects Recyclers)

Dr. Arlenie Rogers

“When we put our garbage in the drum, like in the cities and the towns, everything is in one. In other countries, their laws require people to separate their garbage. They separate organic waste, they separate plastic waste, they separate cans, they separate bottles. Everything is separated. So when the collection truck comes, it’s separated. If we were to have that in Belize, the people that are at the transfer station, the people that the recyclers, they would be less exposed to, you know, many chemicals that come with the garbage.”

Dr. Rogers thinks Belize needs to tighten up its laws for businesses that handle plastic containers. It’s time to get serious about regulating plastic use.

Enforcing the Laws on Businesses

Dr. Arlenie Rogers

“What needs to be done is to ensure that those companies that market themselves as producer of biodegradable products, that they are really complying, that they are indeed making biodegradable products. Secondly, Belize also needs to extend the enforcement of the Returnable Containers Act, because the Returnable Containers Act looks at glass and other beverage containers, and beverage containers are not only made of glass, they are made of plastic, they are made of metal. So if you want to minimize plastic, then the enforcement needs to be done on other companies and other distributors that are importing beverage containers that are producing plastic.”

Under current law, anyone caught importing restricted plastic products faces a hefty fine. They could be fined at least a thousand dollars or three times the value of the imported goods, but the penalty won’t exceed twenty thousand dollars. Marion Ali for News Five.

Tonight, Ray Cattouse, who lives at Mile Fourteen on the Philip Goldson Highway, is once again speaking out to the media. He’s worried about the environment and frustrated with his neighbor’s actions. Despite years of complaints to the Department of the Environment, his neighbor has been allowed to continue waste management operations. Cattouse claims these activities have polluted the creek on his property and now caused severe flooding. We visited Cattouse’s home today to see the damage firsthand. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with the report.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Across the country, hundreds of families are grappling with the severe flooding brought on by Tropical Storm Sara. However, Ray Cattouse, who lives at Mile Fourteen on the Philip Goldson Highway, believes there’s more to the story behind the water invading his property. He points the finger at his neighbor who owns a carbonated beverage and hazardous waste disposal facility. A canal links the properties of Cattouse, Canul, and their neighbor Teichroeb. Last year, Cattouse reported a fishkill, which he claims was caused by pollutants in the water.

Ray Cattouse, Resident

“Because of that, I can’t give mister Teichroeb wrong for doing what mister Teichrob did. Mister Teichroeb block off the canal. So that the water pass through his place no more. I can’t give ah wrong. I woulda do the same thing. No, if the department of environment will tell you we can’t do nothing about that then you do what you could for yourself and due to that canal block off now, because this canal that flows through my property and mister Teichroeb  property  is the what you say the canal that the water used to pass through all the time on the natural canal, but now that is block, now the water have to find the way around.”

Cattouse explains that his neighbor blocked off access to the water on his property, which he understands since his neighbor also enjoys fishing in the nearby natural ponds. However, this has caused the water to change its course, leading to flooding on Cattouse’s land. While he acknowledges that the recent heavy rains might have made things worse, he insists he’s never seen flooding like this before.

Ray Cattouse

“We have a lot of water, but I’ve lived here since 2000.  My parents have lived here since 79, and all the hurricanes and so we passed through. We never have this kind of flooding. This flooding just happened this year because the natural flow of the canal is black. And like I say again, I can’t beg mister Teichroeb to block out the water, make it go round, because the DOE say that they can’t do nothing about it. So he did something about his pond.  And so with that now, like you see the whole area here is flooded because the two canals on either side of mister Teichroeb is too small to carry the water.”

The neighboring facility operates with the green light from the Department of the Environment, so it’s unlikely they’ll stop anytime soon. Cattouse mentioned that his property stretches at least half a mile, making it tough and costly to block access. He thinks the best fix would be to widen the culverts along the road to handle the increased water flow.

Ray Cattouse

“The resolution this time around is very simple, the culvert on either side of mister Teichroeb property. It’s too small to carry the water because the main flow of the water is block. No? But what the M.I.D. will have to do is to put two bigger culverts on each side of mister Teichroeb property. I’ll take you around there right now and show you the  height of the water on both sides of mister Teichroeb property.  Because the water can’t get through fast enough because the main stream going through mister Teichroeb land is blocked off”

In 2019, Cattouse took to the media to air his grievances about alleged air pollution emanating from Canul’s property. In 2023, Cattouse reported the alleged pollution of the creek. We reached out to the Chief Environmental Officer, Anthony Mai for a comment. He told us that the Department of the Environment is not aware of the current complaint but will investigate the matter. Britney Gordon for News Five.