Over 1000 undersized conch were confiscated this weekend in a joint patrolling operation between the Fisheries Department and the police. The team patrolled around the Lighthouse reef and Turneffe Atoll, where they caught and arrested a total of 9 fishers, all in possession of undersized conch. We spoke to the Fisheries Department's Hampton Gamboa about the busts, and what will happen to all that conch.
Hampton Gamboa - Conservation & Compliance Unit Supervisor
"There was a joint operation that was conducted between the police and fisheries officers at Lighthouse and Turneff Atoll. Basically it was an operation that took place from the second to the fifth of February over last weekend and officers while conducting this operation came across a sail boat out at Lighthouse Reef which 6 people were arrested for possession of undersized conch during that operation on that day and also on another day during the same period, there were 3 more individual on another sail boat that was charged, who was found with under size products."
Reporter
"We are looking at all of this conch here, what kind of value are we looking at?"
Hampton Gamboa - Conservation & Compliance Unit Supervisor
"So far 5 individuals who has been charged in court which comes up to a total of one thousand two hundred and seven individual undersize conch of which these 5 individuals; one had five hundred and fourteen another one had a hundred and ninety seven, another one had a hundred and sixty seven, a hundred and sixty four and a hundred and thirty seven respectively. So they were all charged for those different quantities in court. The total fine amounting to over 26 thousand and 20 dollars in fines and penalties for this total amount of conchs that you all have seen here."
Reporter
"Let's talk about protocols, whenever these products are actually confiscated, I know the last time when you did a bust you said that it would be distributed to various NGOs or different organizations nonprofit organizations, but what exactly is the protocol when it comes to monitoring where these confiscated sea food go to?"
Hampton Gamboa - Conservation & Compliance Unit Supervisor
"At the end of each case, the judge will forfeit the product or sell it as the property of the government of Belize to be disposed of at the discretion of fisheries administrator, which we have a list of 68 feeding programs throughout the country that we contribute these products to. We have these products here as these cases are concluded within the next few days or days or thereabout we will be distributing these products. We rotate depending on the quantity that we have depending on the different feeding programs throughout the country."
During this weekend's patrol, six more arrests were made for fishers who were out on the waters without a valid commercial license.
Email
Print