We also asked Wade to comment on the ongoing assessment of gill net use in Belize. The proposal by conservation groups, some fisher groups and the Coast Guard is to ban the nets, but the Gillnet Taskforce is taking a mighty long time to reach a final position.
And, part of the reason is that the Fisheries Department is very much taking a wait and see approach. We asked the Director about it today and she was clearly not enthusiastic about a ban:
Beverly Wade - Fisheries Administrator
"What is the way forward with gillnets? It could or could not include a ban. There is a task force that is chaired by the CEO in the ministry of fisheries and I believe that work that gillnet task force is still ongoing."
Reporter
"So the fisheries department does or does not support the ban on gillnets? Because I know there are some NGOs that are really pushing for a ban."
Beverly Wade - Fisheries Administrator
"I wish it was as black and white like that. It's not a matter of us supporting or not supporting the ban on gillnets. The gillnet fishery is a small scale artisanal fishery in Belize and the fisheries department is of the view that we should look at the fishery if there is a decision that we should have a fishery in place. We should look at how we could ensure that we ameliorate those possible or current negative impacts it is having on the ecosystems and if there is a policy decision for a ban then the fisheries department will also have to have measures in place to implement that ban. So it's not a matter of us deciding if there is a ban or not. It's a matter of us looking at it very carefully. I could tell you that from the perspective of natural resource managements bans aren't necessarily the best solutions to anything, but it's not to say that it's not possible."
The Taskforce to Develop Improved Measures to Reduce Harmful Effects of Gill Nets on Marine Life was commissioned in February of 2018, and has not yet produced a final position.
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