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When it's all said and done fishers claim that the changes will result in an estimated 60% loss in revenue. Via Zoom we spoke to three Caye Caulker fisherfolk who couldn't hold back their fishing frustrations any longer.

Maria Allen, Lobster Fisherwoman
"The Lobster catch today these two baskets here, these are 3 inches which is the regulations we are using now. This one basket here these are the bigger ones which are the new regulations which they have already implemented which will be for the next year and now we are gonna weigh them the ones that are three inches which is the regulation for now. I have 39 pounds in one basket and 16 pounds in the other basket. These are the three inches which are the regulations for this year. The new regulations for the 3.25 are 22 pounds, 22 pounds. So for my catch for today what I would be getting is if I would be going for the new regulations that will be implemented for March 30th, 2022 my catch for today and the fisherman going out for me would be 22 pounds at $14.00 a pound which the co-op is paying. That would be my catch for today, and this which is the three inches these will be my loss which will no longer be the three inches in the legal size which is 3 inches in the Carapace of this Lobster, so this would be my loss, I would be losing about 58 pounds."

Buddy Magana, Fisherman
"Caye Caulker is a nursery ground and all the lonsters are juvenile lobsters, so it's a hatchery the island, right. So the, you it will be rare that you will get lobster with a tail weight bigger than 4.5."

"It's not just Caye Caulker but it's in Belize on a whole that the fishermen will be affected because there can be 150 fishermen on Caye Caulker but it won't be 150 fishermen that will be affected it will be probably 4000 people that will be affected and then there will be shortages in the restaurants if we cannot find the size of lobster how will we sell it to the restaurants."

Maria Allen, Lobster Fisherwoman
"We have about 50 to 60% of our catch that we will be losing to these new regulations. This is our livelihoods and we stand to lose 60% of our income for this new regulation."

"The future generations that have grown up in Caye Caulker of fishing because it will affect future generations for us because like you said if all these regulations are coming into place, I have a grand daughter that says she wants to be a fisherwoman, by the name she is old enough to do it they will already phase us out."

Alex Chan, Lobster Fisherman
"Just for the two months we have the big ones that you'd call 4.5 and up, just for that two shipment of production, we have that, after that it comes right down to the four-ounce and that is every year."

"We don't want to say it like political things but he believes in the likelihood that he's being attacked and that's why we are worried and so care about the future but if they don't want to listen to us, well."

And while they say that, tonight the department of Fisheries is claiming that they've yet to receive any petition to the amendments through any official channel or formal means of communication.

A release from the department says, quote: " There is a process and this could be done through their representatives in the Fisheries Council." End quote.

And despite that obvious frustration with the means in which the message has been conveyed, acting fisheries administrator Rigoberto Quintana sat for questions this afternoon to clear up the department's position on the comments made by the disgruntled lobster fishers. Here are some of the more salient points from that press briefing.

Rigoberto Quintana, Acting Fisheries Administrator
"In 2009, the government of Belize through the then minister Rene Montero had sign a binding OPESCA agreement. We are a part of the Organization of Fisheries and Agriculture in Central America. Whatever we sign at the Ministerial level becomes binding for Belize. Part of those regulations is that Belize had to harmonize the closed season, which we had done over the past two years. These last two fishing season we have harmonized those from the first of March to the end of June. That also required for us to increase the size limit for lobster. So, in 2018, 2019, which Belize had not complied then, OPESCA wrote a letter to our government saying, you know what let's review why you have not implemented these regulations. So, Belize requested an extension to 2019 to implement some of these measures in place. We have had these ongoing discussions, especially at the levels of cooperatives and some of the fishers associations. June last year, we had these discussions again with the main exporters, which is Northern National and Rainforest to say you know what, let us move forward with this and let us do it for the next fishing season. That is why we passed that law last year, and maybe the public has it wrong, but the regulations come into force the first of March."

"We are to consult with the fisheries council, there is one thing that we are still having some discussions in terms of the escape gap."

Reporter
"High gas prices makes fishing more expensive right now than it has ever been and the sizes that are have been implemented since March first, means that with all the gas that these fishermen are spending to go out there, the size of their catches are much smaller. This after the government already took away gillnets and people are saying effectively you've taken bread out of their mouth. How does the department respond to that?"

Rigoberto Quintana, Acting Fisheries Administrator
"We cannot use the excuse of high fuel prices and not be a responsible institution to manage the fisheries, whether prices go for one dollar or twenty dollars, our mandate at fisheries department is to manage the lobster resources in this country. We have a program under the fisheries improvement program through National and Northern Cooperative, Belize's lobster is being rated among the 5 international countries participating - is being rated as B, meaning that it is well manage in the region - is one of the few lobster fisheries being properly manage in the region and we want to keep it as that so that then we can also continue to access those niche markets."

Reporter
"If you do not put these regulations in now, what do you project with happen? if they continue to fish they always have for lobster."

Rigoberto Quintana
"I think by increasing the lobster sizes, it gives lobster more chances of reproducing before it is harvested. We expect that there should be more abundance of stocks in the wild and I think the international community will give us higher rating and more access to premium markets. Yes, the cooperatives have indicated that probably initially they might see a 15% decline in production, but eventually that production will stabilize."

"In Belize we have not done a full evaluation of the lobster stock fisheries. We have done some preliminary assessments in the last 2 years with some expert from Nicaragua and we are engaging the environmental defense fund to bring some experts from Cuba or Mexico to do a complete evaluation of the lobster stock and if there is some recommendation to look at quota system and other management measure we will put those in place."

Quintana shared a press release that said quote: "The department is of the view that the implementation of changes to the escape gap for lobster traps will need to be deferred until further studies are completed that will be consistent with the size limits established."