Celebrating the Start of The Lobster Season in Belize

Lobster season will officially get underway in the next six days and fisherfolks have already deployed hundreds of lobster traps and shades to prepare for their first catch. With the opening of the season comes the buzz surrounding lobster fests. Three of Belize’s prime tourist destinations, San Pedro, Caye Caulker and Placencia host these events in July. Each has its own unique history and approach to these lobster-themed festivities. But one thing stands true across these communities, Lobster Fest presents an opportunity for significant economic gains among restauranters, hoteliers and fisherfolks. Over the weekend, the Belize Tourism Board organized a media field trip to San Pedro and Caye Caulker to speak with organizers and beneficiaries of the highly anticipated annual fests. In the first installment of this two-part report, we look at the history and economic benefits of Lobster Fest. In a subsequent newscast, we will look closer at how sustainable fishing practices are important to the longevity of the celebration. Here is that report.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

The start of a hunting or fishing season is seldom cause for celebration in Belize. That is unless it is the opening of the lobster season. By law, fisherfolks can catch lobsters within an eight-month period, starting on July first. On Ambergris Caye, residents celebrate this occasion with thirteen days of lobster-themed festivities. Rebecca Arceo chairs the committee that plans the annual event.

 

Rebecca Arceo, Chair, San Pedro Business Association

“Actually it was someone who use to live in the states who said they have pre-hunting parties. They would go out hunting and have a party and it was just kind of how you make it interesting for tourists but not make it more expensive, give them a reason to come and that it literally was born out of that idea.”

 

 

 

San Pedro’s Lobster Fest has been running for the past thirteen years. Initially it was only three days of celebration, a pre-party, an opening day party and eight booths. Today, it has expanded to include dozens of businesses, while attracting thousands of visitors to the island. Over the course of the thirteen days, the organizers host a Lobster Crawl. Each day the celebration is held at different business locations.

 

 

 

Rebbeca Arceo

“When tourist goes to an event, they meet other tourist, and they start travelling together to go to another event because it is like oh we met you yesterday so let us go to another event with you and then we have people that come back year after year because they met friends and meet up with those friends again.”

 

San Pedro Lobster Fest also gives restaurants an opportunity to earn extra income during a relatively slow tourism season. Chef Ana Najaro has been participating in the block party since its inception.

 

 

 

Ana Najaro, Chef

“I started with me being the solo at my booth to now having fourteen fifteen staff member for that night only. For me for my booth, I am not being boastful but sometimes I have a whole two lines waiting for food and to be served. Lobster Fest marks a very important night of the year for me.”

 

 

 

And, as Chef Jennie Staines, the executive chef over at Elvi’s Kitchen explains, Lobster Fest inspires restaurants to push the boundaries beyond traditional lobster dishes. She has won best lobster dish for four years, consecutively.

 

 

 

 

Jennie Staines, Executive Chef, Elvi’s Kitchen

“The perfect way for me is by boiling lobster and eating it with butter. That is the way I like it. But, lobster, the trick is never overcooking a lobster. I am very innovative so for the first year I did a lobster burger. The second year I did a hotdog. Thank god that every year I have participated in lobster fest I have had tails on the booth till late at night and one year I sold two hundred and fifty-six pounds of lobster.”

 

 

From San Pedro, we headed over to Caye Caulker, another prominent tourist destination in Belize. La Isla Carinosa holds the title of the longest running lobster fest in the country, after three decades of annual celebrations and two generations of planning committees. Porfilio Guzman is one of ten residents that started Caye Caulker Lobster Fest in 1994.

 

 

 

Porfilio Guzman, Founder, Caye Caulker Lobster Fest

“People worldwide and Belizeans look forward to Caye Caulker Lobster Fest because we dah the original. San Pedro and Placencia they come ten and five years after, but we have record and we have been registered as Caye Caulker Lobster Fest.”

 

 

 

The new generation of the Caye Caulker Lobster Fest Planning Committee is led by Sharry Trejo.

 

Sharry Trejo, Member, Caye Caulker Lobster Fest Committee

“It is very challenging. There are only seven of us in the committee. We are all business owners. We tend to leave our business behind a little bit to concentrate on the preparations for this festival. It is a lot. Sometimes it is frustrating, but our main goal is to ensure that the community are the sole beneficiaries. We don’t do it for ourselves. We do it for everyone here because this is the only festival that Caye Caulker has.”

 

Among the beneficiaries who Trejo speaks about is Ruby Jiminez, the chef at Elba’s Little Kitchen.  There is also Elsa Guzman the Owner of Happy Lobster.  Both women are from Caye Caulker.

 

Ruby Jiminez, Chef, Elba’s Little Kitchen

“Wooo, everybody is excited, everybody is prepping because events like this we get extra people on the island. We have to prepare extra and make sure we are all ready and ready to serve people lobster for lobster fest.”

 

 

 

 

Elsa Guzman, Owner, Happy Lobster

“If you notice for the last years we have less lobster. It is harder to get. Before we would not even have to call the fishermen. Now we have to call them.”

 

 

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.