This month the fishing industry has been celebrating Fisheries Month to raise awareness and celebrate the contributions fishers make to Belizean society. The fisheries industry accounts for about 3% of Belize's GDP, employs thousands of people, and is the the country's 4th largest exporter. Fisher folk also contribute greatly to the conservation of our marine life and protected areas. Today, the Fisheries Department and the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism held a ceremony to celebrate Belizean fishers who have made great strides in providing food for the country in a sustainable and ethical way. Here's CRFM's Executive Director, Milton Haughton and And Eleodoro Martinez, one of the awardees, about the importance of sustainable fishing...
Milton Haughton, Executive Director - CRFM
"Fisherfolk and fisheries have always been an important part of Caribbean culture, Caribbean social life and Caribbean economies. This is why it is such a special day on the calendar for fishers in the region and globally, to take this one day to pause from our busy activities, and to acknowledge and recognize the very important contribution that fisher make to the social and economic development of our countries, of our region, of our communities. The fisheries sector is indeed very important for food, and nutrition, for earning foreign exchange, employment, for livelihood opportunities and particularly for the poor and the vulnerable members of our societies."
Eleodoro Martinez - Outstanding Fisher Award Recipient
"Being honored today for me is a great honor. I have been working for 14 years in the fisheries sector. As you heard before I was a teacher, and a marine park warden, but I really love the sea and I wanted to do fishing, and all this work that I have been doing, it's for the benefit of fisherfolks."
Reporter
"So basically it's paid off, to stick to the rules and to ensure that how, you know, you can continue this, and this tradition can continue for you children and your children's children."
Eleodoro Martinez
"Yes, yes. What we're doing, the work that we're doing is to make fishing sustainable for the future of our children, for our grandchildren, for the future generation."
Apart from all the people the fisheries industry provides for, approximately 4.2% of the population benefits directly from fishing.
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