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Special correspondent Janelle Chanona found out how this project hopes to make that a thing of the past:

Omar Martinez, Facilitator, Gulf of Honduras Project
"We want to reverse the pollution in the whole area among Belize, Guatemala and Honduras."

According to coordinators, the Environmental Protection and Maritime Pollution Control Gulf of Honduras Project is designed to create regional environmental benefits through public education campaigns in Belize, Guatemala and Honduras as well as launching technical initiatives with the five ports operating in the Gulf of Honduras. And the regional ports are starting with themselves, implementing best management practices to reduce solid waste, water and air pollution at their facilities.

Gustavo Carrillo, Manager, Big Creek Port
"We have done everything to make sure that we have all the implementation in place to reduce any environmental accidents or hazards and that raise the environmental consciousness of all the employees within the port/ Even the stevedores, we have had trainings and sessions with them trying to educate them into why we do certain things so that it's easier to have a smoother operation."

Rainaldo Guerrero, Manager, Port of Belize
"In spite of major efforts being made we still have not gotten the full buy-in from our people - just to reduce the level of contaminants in there and even if I reduce all of the contaminants that leak into the port from my equipment I still would have no control on the contaminants that comes in from customers, these huge trucks that come into the port. We get at least 100 of these big trucks every single day into the port and I cannot stop a truck from coming into the port that is leaking oil."

Martin Alegria, Chief Environmental Officer, Department of Environment
"Anything that happens in the mountains ends up in the sea, in this case in our beloved Belize Barrier Reef but not only that, we have also marine related impacts, ship generated impacts is just one but marine related is many so those are two focus areas that the government of Belize is looking for to begin addressing more seriously between now and 5 - 10 years the whole issue of marine pollution."

According to Belize's Chief Environmental Officer, Martin Alegria, marine pollution includes invasive species like the lionfish, solid waste like plastics and other garbage, groundings and other physical damages to the reef and chemical runoffs from construction activities, industrial industries, agriculture and aquaculture operations as well as the dumping of sewage into the sea.

The Gulf of Honduras is not the first attempt to strengthen Belize's institutional and legal foundation to protect and sustainably manage Belize's marine resources. The Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute has recently been resurrected with fresh finances and the Meso American Barrier Reef System initiative is still technically on-going but even Alegria admits much more needs to be done.

Martin Alegria, Chief Environmental Officer, Department of Environment
"We should never be comfortable. We know we can do better, but…."

Janelle Chanona
"This is a billion dollar resource."

Martin Alegria, Chief Environmental Officer, Department of Environment
"Not because these plans have not been implemented or initiatives haven't started or strengthening doesn't mean that we haven't been doing something - we have and one of the major mechanisms we used is the EIA process in new developments coming in including agricultural projects, tourism related and so on. We address the whole issue of prevention of any pollution going into our streams and rivers and eventually into the sea. And if it on a coastal even more so prevention from coast."

Janelle Chanona
"But do we have the capacity/resources to monitor all those projects and ensure nothing bad is happening?"

Martin Alegria, Chief Environmental Officer, Department of Environment
"I'd be the first one to say that we don't have all the resources, hence the reason why as we moved on we try to institute mechanisms. The first step is what we called voluntary compliance place into the environmental compliance plan - the contract between us and the developers/investors. So that's the line of contribution from them."

The second line of defence is of course enforcement and fines and fees but port manager Rainaldo Guerrero says his initial findings reveal that the catalyst for change must come from the individual.

Rainaldo Guerrero
"For me it is not so much enforcement, it is more working towards creating that culture change through a different set of values. More and more we are becoming environmentally conscious and more and more we are seeing our individual role as a part of that process and while there is legislation, I don't believe very much in legislation except in specific cases and I believe more in creating a sense of values in people who want to do it rather than have to do it."

Martin Alegria
"If the general public does not demand let's say a specific sector to get more environmentally conscious it become difficult because you as consumer for example will be buying the cheapest and the cheapest might mean the ones that are producing with the most environmental degradation or impact, so it's a culture change from the people who are consuming it. The product that is produce is the key, that's not overnight - that takes time."

But as Belizeans discovered in August 2010, marine pollution can impact our economic and cultural reality overnight. Reporting for 7News I am Janelle Chanona.

Notably absent today was Ports Commissioner, John Flowers who was listed as a presenter but did not show. The Gulf of Honduras project is a five year project, bolstered by more than five million US dollars in funding provided by the Global Environment Facility.