And while that is in the draft stage, another important bill that spent almost a decade languishing at the draft stage has passed the house and senate. It's the Fisheries Resources Bill and its passage is being hailed as a victory for the environmental and fishing communities after years of consultations, lobbying and law drafting. One that is hoped to translate into the real dividends for fisher folks, the environment and in the long term for Belize's sustainable management of fisheries resources.
With unanimous support in the House and Senate,, the new and comprehensive Bill replaces a seven decade old law with one that comes with trumpets blaring of sweepingly modernizing Belize's small-scale fishing industry. The new law now shifts fisheries management from a focus on fish stocks and harvests of traditional commercial species to ecosystem-based management, protecting sea life and inland water bodies.
Sounds good right? Well, from the delivery on the Senate floor it was all cheers, starting with Senator for the NGO community Osmany Salas, who hailed the passage as a success after 10 years of work.
Senator Salas hailed the success in evidence that it was used as a template in the Caribbean and the Pacific regions.
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