Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/353/REV.1 |
S-IV§28 |
Belize |
2017 |
Sectors |
General environmental reference |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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The principal legislation on fisheries is the Fisheries Act which was enacted in 1948 and last revised in 1989 (Chapter 210), its subsidiary legislation which was last revised in 2003 (Chapter 210S), and the High Seas Fishing Act, 2013. Under the Fisheries Act, commercial fishing requires a fisher to have a fisher folk licence, the fishing vessel must be licensed for seaworthiness, and a seafood permit or export licence is needed for trade. The Act also allows the Minister to establish marine reserves and regulations for the sector and provides for the inspection and enforcement of the Act and regulations. A new Fisheries Resources Bill has been prepared, which the authorities expect to be enacted in 2017. When enacted, the Bill will, according to the Ministry, help achieve the following objectives:
• Compliance with international laws;
• Establish principles of ecosystems management and a precautionary approach to resource management;
• Establish an advisory council;
• Provide a legal basis for co‐management agreements;
• Strengthen the marine reserves;
• Provide for managed access in areas both within and outside the marine reserves;
• Increase fines and penalties;
• Provide for fisheries management plans; and
• Create a transparent and accountable process for the implementation of regulations.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/353/REV.1 |
S-IV§29 |
Belize |
2017 |
Sectors |
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Fisheries |
Relevant information
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The High Seas Fishing Act 2013 provides the domestic legislative basis to comply with the FAO Agreement to Promote International Conservation and Management Measures by Fishing Vessels on the High Seas. The Act provides the legislative basis for the High Seas Fishing Unit, inter alia, to issue regulations to determine participatory rights, allocate fishing quotas, issue fishing licenses, and set effort and gear restrictions.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/353/REV.1 |
S-IV§30 |
Belize |
2017 |
Sectors |
General environmental reference |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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The Aquaculture Unit, in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment and Sustainable Development, is responsible for aquaculture and the Belize Fisheries Department (BFD) is responsible for developing policy and managing fishery resources. Within the BFD:
• the Policy Planning Unit is responsible for policy development and coordination, providing personnel and financial resources to complement government programmes;
• the Ecosystem Management Unit is responsible for protecting stocks through the nine marine reserves;
• the Capture Fisheries Unit monitors commercially important stocks; and
• the Conservation Compliance Unit is responsible for enforcing the fisheries regulations.
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Keywords
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Fish
Natural resources
Conservation
Eco
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/353/REV.1 |
S-IV§33 |
Belize |
2017 |
Sectors |
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Fisheries |
Relevant information
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Fishing policy in Belize is focused on maintaining a sustainable yield from fisheries resources while continuing to contribute to food production, foreign exchange earnings. Various effort and gear restrictions apply in Belize depending on the species caught, such as catch size restrictions and closed seasons for several species, including lobster, conch, Nassau grouper, sea cucumber, and hicatee. Bottom trawling has been banned since 2010 and restrictions apply to net mesh sizes and placement of nets as well as other equipment and all nets must be registered with the BFD. Total allowable catches (TACs) apply to some different species, for example: in 2015, the BFD carried out two surveys of sea cucumbers and, as a result, reduced the TAC from 400,000 lbs to 300,000 lbs for the 1 May to 31 June season; and the TAC for conch was set at 800,000 lbs for the 2015/16 season.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/353/REV.1 |
S-IV§34 |
Belize |
2017 |
Sectors |
Other environmental requirements |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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In 2011, the BFD established a programme of managed access that restricts access to designated areas to those with a licence to fish there. Eight areas have been designated as inshore fishing areas and one deeper water area has been marked out for expansion and diversification. Implementation of the programme began in 2016.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/353/REV.1 |
S-IV§35 |
Belize |
2017 |
Sectors |
Other environmental requirements |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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According to the authorities, recent results of field research on Queen Conch and Sea Cucumber stocks have helped Belize to develop and implement improved management strategies for these fisheries to ensure sound management and sustainable use. The full implementation of the Managed Access Programme to all fishing areas in Belize together with the implementation of an Adaptive Management Framework (AMF) – designed to address the need for assessment and management of data-limited fisheries such as the conch and lobster fisheries – and the expansion of marine protected areas to 21.7% of the territorial sea coupled with a planned expansion of replenishment area (no-take zones) from 3.15% to 10% will provide for better management of Belize's fishery resources and development of the sector.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/353/REV.1 |
S-IV§37 |
Belize |
2017 |
Sectors |
General environmental reference |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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Total funding for fisheries management in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment and Sustainable Development is about BZ$2.5 million per year while visitation fees for marine reserves provide about BZ$0.5 million in revenue.
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Keywords
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Environment
Sustainable
Fish
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/353/REV.1 |
S-IV§41 |
Belize |
2017 |
Sectors |
General environmental reference |
Mining |
Relevant information
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The principal legislation governing the mineral industry is the Mines and Minerals Act (Chapter 226) and subsidiary regulations and, for petroleum, the Petroleum Act (Chapter 225). In addition, several other laws and regulations also affect exploration and exploitation of minerals and petroleum, such as the Environmental Protection Act, the Forests Act, and the National Park Systems Act.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/353/REV.1 |
S-IV§42 |
Belize |
2017 |
Sectors |
Other environmental requirements |
Mining |
Relevant information
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For minerals, extraction of less than 16,000 cubic yards of material requires a quarry permit from the Inspector of Mines. A quarry permit is valid until end-December of the year in which it is granted. Extraction of more than 16,000 cubic yards requires a mining licence from the Ministry of Natural Resources. The duration of a mining licence depends on the estimated life of the deposit up to a maximum of 20 years. Prospecting licences are available for non-invasive prospecting as non-exclusive licences from the Inspector of Mines or as reconnaissance licences from the Minister of Natural Resources which allow for trenching, coring, test pitting, and subsurface sampling in areas of up to 50 km2 for one year. Exploration licences may also be obtained from the Minister for areas of up to 25 km2 for three years. All mineral rights require performance bonds to ensure compliance with the terms of the rights. Bonds vary with the scale of operations, the work programme and the sensitivity of the area. The standard bonds vary from BZ$3,000 for a quarry permit up to BZ$10,000 for prospecting licences. Licence applications must include permits from other relevant public agencies (such as a Permit for Land Reclamation if dredging is required, or a Permit for Environmental Clearance) and written consent from landowners or leaseholders if private land is accessed or traversed.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/353/REV.1 |
S-IV§121 |
Belize |
2017 |
Sectors |
General environmental reference |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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The International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize (IMMARBE) issues registration under the Belizean flag to international vessels through its headquarters in Belize City and offices abroad. No restrictions apply on ownership, investment or personnel for registration. A department of the Ministry of Finance, IMMARBE was operated until recently by a foreign company under a Management Services Agreement with the Government. However, in June 2013, the Ministry of Finance announced the termination of the agreement and the takeover of IMMARBE by the Belizean Government. [80] The registry had some 940 ships at the end of 2012 ; in 2015, the number of registered vessels was 879.
[80] Shortly before the takeover, Belize had been blacklisted by the European Union on allegations of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing on the high seas by foreign-owned Belize-flagged vessels.
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