Report on Public Consultations Fisheries Act Revision Project

The old Act cannot accommodate all the advances made in fisheries management, and a new Act is urgently needed to address the gaps and create synergies and efficiencies in the current national and international legal framework. Public consultations were held in four major coastal fishing communities: Belize City, Sarteneja, Placencia, and Punta Gorda, from February 22 to March 2, 2011. The consultations were widely publicized through television infomercials, radio notices, and newspaper publications. Flyers advertising the consultations were also distributed in Placencia and surrounding communities. A special meeting was held with the Belize Fisherman Co-operative Association (BFCA) on March 3, 2011, as several members were unable to attend the public consultations. The consultations were attended by 44 participants, representing the fishing industry, government, non-governmental organizations, donors, academia, and the general public. The participants included 12 government and statutory body representatives, 8 fishing industry representatives, 12 non-government organization representatives, 1 media representative, 2 academia representatives, 5 general public representatives, and 4 donor representatives. The meeting was called to order by the Moderator, Mr. George Myvett, and the Senior Fisheries Officer, who introduced the legal consultants, Bill Edeson and Elisa Montalvo, the Fisheries Administrator, Beverly Wade, and the Country Director of Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Janet Gibson. Ms. Wade opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and expressing her expectation for an interactive discussion. She provided background on the process of revising the Fisheries Act, which began in early 2010, and explained that the old Act cannot accommodate all the advances made in fisheries management. The new Act is urgently needed to reflect the progress made in the sector since the old legislation was first enacted in 1948. The old Act was enacted in 1948, and since then, there have been significant changes in the fisheries sector, including the Law of the Sea Convention in 1982 and the Fish Stocks Agreement in 1995. The draft of the new Act includes some key sections where feedback from stakeholders is required. The input received during the consultations will be used to develop the draft further. The final polished draft should be ready for distribution in 3 to 4 months. The consultations provided an opportunity for stakeholders to provide feedback on the draft Act and to contribute to the development of the new legislation. The presentation of the draft Act was made by Mr. Edeson, who explained that a lot has happened in fisheries between 1948 and the mid-1980s. He highlighted the importance of revising the Fisheries Act to reflect the progress made in the sector and to address the gaps and create synergies and efficiencies in the current national and international legal framework. The consultations were an important step in the process of revising the Fisheries Act, and the feedback received will be used to develop the draft further.