7 News Belize

Fisheries Administrator Talks Shark Fishing
posted (February 23, 2016)
A post on social media depicting the slaughter of some 32 sharks, including the endangered hammerhead, and a couple of allegedly pregnant female Caribbean Reef Sharks, sparked much public outrage. The post was made by conservation group MAR Alliance who used the images as a platform to launch their petition against the use of gillnets and longlines and to pressure Government to support equitable and sustainable fishing methods. Today we spoke to the Government representative in the Fisheries Department Beverly Wade who expressed her disappoint at the way the matter was handled. She says the Government has recently launched a National Sharks Working Group in which the director of MAR Alliance is an active member of. So she argues that if there was a concern on the part of Mar Alliance they should have brought it up through this avenue instead o broadcasting it on social media.

Beverly Wade, Fisheries Administrator
"In a recent correspondence to the department for the renewal of that organization annual research license, there is a line there telling is that in the 2 primary areas where there been conducting research and where shark fishing is being done that population seems stable. This is coming from people who are actually out there carrying out the research. So it's not that the shark fishing is functioning in a vacuum somewhere. There is no argument that there is a need for us to look at probably more regulations for our shark fishery, but regulations have to also be based on sound information. Because it's not putting in regulations or putting in regulations. It is a matter of putting in regulations to address whether there is conservation targets or whether there is sustainable targets at the end of the day. It depends on what is the recommendations coming out in terms of how you move forward with a resource like this."

Emanuel Pech
"As far as you are concerned though, shark fishing is sustainable as no now."

Beverly Wade, Fisheries Administrator
"That it is."

Emanuel Pech
"Sustainable."

Beverly Wade, Fisheries Administrator
"According to what we've been advised so far and as I said I am not going to make that recommendation. We depend on the advice that we are getting from the people who are working out there and at the end of the day as I said I am looking forward to what will come out of the shark working group through the national plan of action for shark. Let's say you what Miss B, maybe certain species may be protected. For some of them maybe we could continue fishing. In fact we have been getting some management advise already internally informally as to what species could continue to be targeted, which ones we need to pay more attention to. That is what management is about at the end of the day."

The Fisheries department says it currently licenses about 60 fishermen to catch sharks. This they say is representative of about 2% of the fishing population of Belize. The peak season for catching sharks is between the months of November to March, however there is no regularized open and closed season when it comes to sharks nor is there a cap on the amount of sharks that can be fished a year. But Wade told us the number usually amounts to about 25 thousand pounds annually that is fished for export by those 60 fishermen. This is notwithstanding the fact, and the department concedes to this, that the shark population is in decline.

It's a delicate balance according to the Fisheries Department. One that must involve the consideration of all stake holders that use the resource.

Emanuel Pech
"Did Mar Alliance stepped out of line?"

Beverly Wade, Fisheries Administrator
"No. I just want to be clear. We have no quarrels with Mar Alliance. Dr. Graham could come and see me in my office any day."

Reporter
"Did they blow it out of proportion of what has happened in terms of harvesting of the sharks?"

Beverly Wade, Fisheries Administrator
"I think from our end, it's something that could have been treated differently, especially given the fact that Dr. Graham has a close relationship with the Fisheries Department, sits on the national sharks working group and has the ability to have that discourse with the Fisheries Department. The only thing I will say that we are very much disappointed in is the treatment of the fishermen. Because I think that is wrong. I honestly think that is wrong and from the mere fact that the fishers allowed people to document what they are doing, it shows you that those people knew they were not doing anything that was illegal."

Currently there are three landing sites that are used to catch Sharks: Sanbore Caye, Rocky point and Robinson point. Fisheries Administrator Beverly Wade stressed the importance of consultation on the matter of shark fisheries and on the matter of Gillnet fishing. So until there is a national or international consensus on the banning of shark fishing and use of destructive fishing gear, these methods will continue to be used in our Belizean waters and our resources including sharks will continue to be exploited.

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