Belize's aquaculture industry is in peril, because in three weeks' time - the European Union may choose to identify Belize as what they call a non-co-operating third country" and refuse to accept fish and shrimp imports from Belize.
That's because the Europeans say Belize's offshore industry is not properly overseen by the Fisheries Department. And when we say offshore, we don't mean like in the blue, we're referring to IMMARBE - which is the ships' register and the IBC register. The Europeans argue that the beneficial ownership of many of the 120 Belize-Registered vessels on the high seas fishing fleet is obscured in the register of International Business Companies - commonly known as IBC's.
Now, both IMMARBE and the IBC registry are privately owned and operated by large, monied interests and for the Fisheries Department to have any kind of oversight is a joke to anyone who knows the in's and out's of how such things work. But it's not a joke to the Europeans and unless Belize's government comes up with an answer soon - principally Belize's aquaculture shrimp industry could face international trade sanctions.
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