Call to Action

The CALL TO ACTION is the Belize Federation of Fishers' most resolute and definitive signature of commitment to the Sustainable Development of the Fisheries Sector.

The CALL TO ACTION is in principle a proposition requiring a paradigm shift from top-down management practices to Inclusive governance, to bridging the gap between the status quo perspectives of the Fisheries Authorities and the development needs of the sector as requested and supported by the fishing community.

The BFF is convinced that its CALL TO ACTION is critical to the advancement of the fishing Industry along the lines of striking the appropriate balance between the environmental, economic and social pillars of sustainability. The CALL TO ACTION must be accepted and internalized by the fisheries authorities so that it would be reflected in the development and financial plans, policies, legislations, projects, programmes and activities of the fisheries sector

The Belize Federation of Fishers CALL TO ACTION is as follows:

1. Protection of the national fishery from industrialized and foreign exploitation: The government must protect the livelihood of small-scale fishers[1] by resisting and restricting industrialized fishing activities[2] from both the traditional fishing areas, as well as the deep-sea environment - these areas must be reserved for small-scale fishing activities. The government must ensure that any research or exploratory fishing in the deep-sea benefits our small-scale fishers in terms of technology, information and finances where relevant and also protect the stocks of shallow-water species on which their livelihoods depend.

2. Transparent and accountable in fisheries management: The government of Belize must have an 'open door' policy to make public information generated by, or available to the fisheries authorities that would be of interest to fishers and their organizations - this would include scientific information on the status of the fish stocks, as well as the status and dynamics of MPAs, projects, programmes and protected species, and financial support that should benefit the fisheries sector, such as funds from the user fees, the Belize funds for sustainable future and the project for permanence. recommendations from the fisheries transparency initiative global standard should be followed.

3. Restructuring the fisheries licensing system to implement limited entry provisions and to dissuade and discontinue unfair competition with commercial fishers: The fisheries authorities must in the first instance legislate a limited entry licensing system which would be based on the finite capacity of the fish stocks and of the fishing zones to sustain livelihoods - and in the second instance a new license that would differentiate recreational[3] and subsistence[4] fishing' from artisanal[5], or small scale fishing, and establish and enforce bag limits for recreational and subsistence fishers[6]. The new licensing scheme must also expunge or arrest 'double-dipping where recreational fishers and tour guides also inadvertently become holders of 'commercial fishing licenses'[7] in parallel with their primary livelihood and source of income.

4. Replace or improve the manage access programme so that the outputs and outcomes are beneficial to fishers and their communities: The fisheries authorities must ensure that co­ management of marine reserves is defined and institutionalized, as well as the criteria for co-­management should be standardized across the board - the managed access programme must also establish the exploitable stock biomass and species portfolio of each of the technical fishing zones and match the fishing effort with such targets - the restriction of commercial fishers to specific zones of operation should also apply to sport and recreational fishers[8] as well as subsistence fishers.

5. Redouble initiatives to reduce and expunge destructive fishing practices: The fisheries authorities must enact policy, legislation and actions to curtail, dissuade and expunge destructive fishing practices - this includes the use of 'allowable gears' in the lobster fishery, 'ghost fishing' where fishing gears that are lost to storms or otherwise, continue to fish in near perpetuity, as well as the hunt for jewellery grade pearls where juvenile or under-sized conch are harvested en masse and broken open in the search for said pearls.

6. Commit to a major improvement in monitoring and enforcement efforts: Illegal fishing has become the order of the day across the geographic extent of the Belizean seas as a consequence of the lack of enforcement patrols. This needs to be addressed urgently since it impacts livelihood at the individual level, as well as in relation to food security, job creation, and foreign exchange earnings.

7. Institutional reform inclusive of meaningful consultation prior to decision-making: Decision­ making must be inclusive in regard to dialogue between the fisheries authorities and fishers and their organizations, as well as fishing communities. All matters of major importance need to be discussed with fishers and their organizations so that their interests are taken into account in policy decisions. the BFF needs to be recognized as a legitimate representative of fishers across the nation of Belize and provisions must be made for the inclusion of the organization on the fisheries advisory council and other policy-related fora.

8. Establishment of an endowment fund for climate resilience for fisherfolks: The government of Belize must secure the resources for the establishment of a 50-million-dollar endowment fund to support climate resilience for fisherfolks and fishing communities so that their contribution to food security, employment and the sustainable use of the fishery and marine resources are protected and assured for future generations.

9. Develop an apprenticeship program for new entrants into the national fishery: The government of Belize must ensure the social rights of small-scale fishers such as: Access to social security, health care, education and safety at sea, in a way that will improve the viability of the fisheries sector for youths, as recommended in FAO's voluntary guidelines for securing sustainable small-scale fisheries in the context of food security and poverty eradication. This could be accomplished in part through a BFF-led apprenticeship programme supported by grant funding from the Belize Funds for Sustainable Future and/or the Project for Permanence.

10. Establishment of an alternative livelihood revolving fund: The government of Belize must establish a 30-million-dollar revolving fund specific to fishers to accommodate the transition period for reducing the fishing pressure on lobster, conch and aggregating finfish stocks that are over-fished. The fund must be at concessionary rates on terms and conditions that are accessible and affordable to fishers.

Signatures of BFF Executive Managing Committee Members/ Community Association Leaders.

[1] Small scale fishing in the Belizean context is to be taken to mean relative lo\v technology and investment both in relation to fishing crafts and fishing gears and fishing methods and usually refers to fishers operating in relatively shallow seas such as the barrier platform, the lagoonal areas of the atolls and the shallow forereef: small scale fishing is used interchangeably with artisanal fishing.

[2] Industrial fishing in the Belizean context refers to relatively sophisticated fishing gears such as trawl nets and mechanically assisted deep sea traps - it also relates to larger vessels with major storage and processing areas on-board and in general requires relatively large capital outlays.

[3] Recreational fishing in the Belizean context is to be taken to mean fishing for leisure and at this juncture requires a sports fishing license: this is to be distinguished from sports fishing technically in that recreational fishers are allowed to keep their catch.

[4] Subsistence fishing in the Belizean context is to be taken to mean fishing for the dinner table. Hereby, the catch is not to be exchanged for money or monies worth - it normally happens in a geographically limited area relative to the abode or base of operation of the fisher and does not normally entail the taking of high value species such as lobsters and conch.

[5] Artisanal fishing in the Belizean context is used interchangeably with small scale fishing: both terms infer fishing for money or money’s worth and in this regard refers to all commercial fishing activities in Belize.

[7] Commercial fishing in the Belizean context refers to any and all fishing activities requiring a license issued by the fisheries department commercial fishing licenses are required for both industrial and artisanal fishing operations.

[8] Sports fishing in the Belizean context refers to 'catch and release' vocation and is done exclusively for recreation: Sports fishers require a sports fishing license that is administered by the coastal zone management authority.