Belize, a pioneer in fisheries conservation, has become the first country to adopt a national, multispecies territorial user rights programm

Nembhard, Nadine

Aquatic Commons

36
SAMUDRA RepoRt No. 78
Belize has always attracted great environmental attention, especially since the country 
boasts having the second largest coral 
reef complex in the world, which 
stretches 185 miles, making it the 
longest in the Western hemisphere. 
For the average Belizean, it is 
national pride to protect the country’s 
ecosystem. For some, it is an 
attraction for investments and tourism 
development. In the midst of this, 
there are the small-scale fishers who 
depend on the marine resources for 
a livelihood. 
Compared to its Caribbean friends, 
Belize has always been pioneers in 
fisheries conservation. No exceptional 
surprises, then, when, in 2011, the 
Fisheries Department, in collaboration 
with the Environmental Defense Fund 
(EDF) and other non-governmental 
organizations (NGOs), launched a 
Manage Access Pilot Project (MAPP) 
in the general-use zones of the Port 
Honduras Marine Reserve and Glover’s 
Reef Reserve. Then, in 2016, there was 
a national roll-out where the 3,000 
traditional fishers were divided into 
nine fishing zones. This was a world 
record breaker, as Belize became 
the first country to adopt a national, 
multispecies territorial user rights 
programme. For this article, a small 
sample of fishers and co-operative 
workers were briefly interviewed about 
the MAPP in Belize. They spoke about 
areas of governance, enforcement, 
fishing and tenure rights. 
How is the new regime being 
managed in Belize? As described by 
a fisher, there is a Manage Access 
Committee created for each fishing 
zone. This committee comprises 
stakeholders, including fishers. The 
committee is responsible for the 
management of a specific fishing 
zone. It vets and approves the ‘manage 
access’ fishing licences. A licensed 
fisher is limited to two fishing areas. 
When a fisher leader, who is a member 
of the committee, was asked if it is 
possible to change fishing zones, he 
said yes, subject to the case going to 
the committee. However, if that fisher 
has had a previous offence, it would be 
difficult to change fishing zones.
Another woman fisher, replying 
to the same question, stated that 
designating two zones in the first 
instance would be difficult. The zones 
are over-populated and there is less 
space to fish. A lot of the good fishing 
areas are being protected and are 
no-take zones. 
Further responses to this question 
revealed that fishing communities 
were unable to find out who has 
licences to fish in their waters. “We 
should be able to access the list of 
licence holders and be able to verify 
that these people legitimately deserve 
to hold a licence”, observed a fisher. 
While a fisher gave the example of a 
red tide (a rare occurrence for Belize) 
and another spoke about hurricanes, 
they both shared the same view about 
the fate of fishers during the time of 
natural disasters, where some areas 
are more affected than others.
Tenure rights
Will they be allowed to venture 
into other zones freely and easily? 
A community of fishers felt that, at 
times, the powers that be do not fully 
Access Rights
Belize
Free to Move
Belize, a pioneer in fisheries conservation, has become the first country  
to adopt a national, multispecies territorial user rights programme
This article is by Nadine Nembhard 
(nadine_nem@yahoo.com), Administrative 
Officer, Caribbean Network of Fisherfolk 
Organisations (CNFO), Belize,  
and General Secretary, World Forum  
of Fisher Peoples (WFFP)
it seems as if they are aware that our waters are being 
exploited by foreigners, who do not have licences!
JANUARY 2018
37
A c c e S S  R i g h t S
appreciate the input of the fishers 
as they would initially contribute in 
the consultations but often find that 
changes are made that they are not 
aware of or did not agree to. They 
also think that some of the processes 
are cumbersome—for example, the 
acquisition of licences. They have to 
spend a day going to Belize City to 
get these licences. A day lost means 
spending money and not making any. 
One fisher claimed that all the 
fisheries-management tools were in 
place in some fashion or the other, 
prior to the access-management 
regimes. For example, he remembered 
how many years ago, the fisheries 
division used to collect data from 
fishers at the fishing co-operatives 
and, even more recently, the 
co-operatives collect data when they 
are invoiced, including those related 
to fishing grounds, etc. Essentially, 
that earlier system was even better 
because, as reported by many fishers, 
they were having great difficulties 
with the Manage Access logbook 
system for collecting catch data. The 
fisher suggested: “I could tell them, 
keep all the management tools and 
just take away the zoning, but they 
would not agree.” I was curious to 
know why he made such a statement. 
He elaborated on behalf of the other 
fishers who fish in many different areas 
of Belize, from north to south, how the 
zoning affects their free movements to 
access different fishing areas. 
Enforcement is one area of the 
programme many fishers welcomed. 
A few commented that patrolling will 
check piracy at sea. In addition, they 
said, it will prevent illegal fishing by 
non-Belizean fishers. Moreover, local 
fishers are accustomed to the fisheries 
regulations such as open and close 
seasons/size limits for prime species 
as lobster and conch; most are, 
therefore, accustomed to complying 
with the regulations. One fisher 
interviewed spoke about witnessing 
large overseas fishing vessels fishing 
far away in the deep sea at night. These 
vessels are so big they light up like a 
city. He said given an opportunity, 
those large vessel owners would also 
be interested in the traditional areas of 
the Belizean artisanal fishers. 
One community of fishers wished 
that enforcement should not be 
selective. “It seems as if they are aware 
that our waters are being exploited 
by foreigners, who do not have 
licences! Even when reporting to the 
authorities that there is not enough 
being done to stop illegal fishing, the 
authorities claim they do not have 
the resources”. Another fisher leader 
commented: “I see other boats that 
are not coded for my zone fishing 
in the area. We need to ensure we 
have sufficient patrols”. Several 
fishers pointed to the need for more 
awareness and information sharing 
about the fishing regulations.
On the topic of fishers’ and tenure 
rights, one person commented that 
fisherfolk need to be organized and 
have a team of qualified advisers. 
He further stated that the NGOs and 
other organizations should have a full 
team, including lawyers, executive 
directors and trained specialists; 
likewise, the fishers of Belize need 
strength and people on their team 
24 hours a day, seven days a week 
to help fight and defend their rights. 
This interviewee went on further 
to quote the Constitution of Belize, 
which speaks of the freedom of 
movement and suggested that fishers 
should be knowledgeable about all 
eDeN LeoN
Sail boats docked at a fishing cooperative in Belize. the fishers want management that is 
fair, equitable, transparent and reliable, which includes meaningful community consultations
38
SAMUDRA RepoRt No. 78
laws, regulations and policies that 
affect their well-being.
I took the opportunity to give him 
a copy of the Food and Agriculture 
Organization of the United Nations 
(FAO) Voluntary Guidelines for 
Securing Sustainable Small-Scale 
Fisheries in the Context of Food 
Security and Poverty Eradication 
(the SSF Guidelines) and highlighted 
Part 2 Responsible fisheries and 
sustainable development. Here it states 
that “small-scale fishing communities 
need to have secure tenure rights to 
the resources that form the basis for 
their social and cultural well-being, 
their livelihoods and their sustainable 
development”. 
Another response on the topic 
was from a woman fisher who spoke 
strongly for alternative livelihood 
opportunities in Belize. She stated 
that there are barely any marketable 
products and she observes a lot 
of control over fisherfolk. Feeling 
compelled to provide for her home, 
she is interested in anything that can 
bring an income to her and her family.
Another commented that there 
is also the anxiety that their fishing 
grounds are shrinking, often to 
accommodate the tourism industry: 
“We allow outsiders to come and 
dictate when/where fishing should be 
done without regard for the legitimacy 
of fishers using these resources to 
make a living.” Jackie Sunde, in her 
abstract “Expressions of Tenure in 
South Africa in the context of the 
Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines”, says 
that tenure relations lie at the heart of 
the livelihoods of small-scale fishing 
communities who depend on their 
access to, and control of, fisheries and 
other natural resources in order to 
realize their right to food as well as a 
range of other human rights.
Fishers want a sustainable fishing 
industry, and some are willing to 
place some confidence in the new 
fisheries initiative in Belize. When 
a seasoned fisher was asked about 
his views about Manage Access, his 
response was: “You (pointing to me) 
will have to monitor it”. This was 
understood to mean that the initiative 
is in its infant stage, and different 
stages will produce different 
challenges. Meanwhile, fishers cling 
on to the hope of better profits and an 
improved fishing industry. 
My overall assessment, after 
discussions with some fisheries 
experts of Belize, is that the fishers of 
the country want management that 
is fair, equitable, transparent and 
reliable, which includes meaningful 
community consultations. In addition, 
the social and cultural issues of fishers 
must not be ignored in the process. 
Clearly, fishers are not asking for 
fisheries conservation in the disguise 
of fisheries management. As stated in 
the Caribbean Network of Fisherfolk 
Organisations’ vision, all fishers 
want is to have sustainable fishing 
industries that are mainly owned and 
governed by fisherfolk who enjoy a 
good quality of life, achieved through 
the ecosystem-based management 
of fisheries resources.                                 
B e L i z e
http://dlc.dlib.indiana.edu/dlc/bitstream/
handle/10535/2157/Gray_141801.
pdf?sequence=1 
Producing Success: Co-
Management of a Marine 
Protected Area in Belize
http://www.cirp.org.tt/cnfo/ 
The Caribbean Network of 
Fisherfolk Organisations (CNFO)
For more
eDeN LeoN
Lobsters in a fishing processing plant in Belize. Local fishers are accustomed to the  
fisheries regulations such as open and close seasons/size limits for lobster and conch


Belize: access rights, free to move

http://aquaticcommons.org/23200/1/009%20Sam78_%20Free%20to%20Move%20by%20Nadine%20Nembhard.pdf

Belize: access rights, free to move

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