Even as Belize has built a reputation for robust marine conservation legislation, the nation’s small-scale fishing community is calling for immediate intervention after a groundbreaking new industry audit laid bare deep systemic flaws threatening the future of the trade.
Published in June 2026, the 2025 Fisher’s Audit draws on direct input from working fishers across the country and evaluates the sector against 29 key performance indicators. The report identifies three core, ongoing challenges: inadequate mandatory catch reporting, chronic underfunding for fisheries management bodies, and glacial enforcement of existing conservation rules. The audit confirms that early signs of overfishing are already appearing in Belize’s coastal waters, putting thousands of livelihoods at risk.
At the official launch of the audit, Jorge Aldana, president of the San Pedro Fisherfolk Association, outlined the growing pressures facing an industry that supports thousands of coastal households across Belize. Aldana noted that while incremental progress has been made on some fisher-led demands, the community continues to face overlapping barriers across governance, professional representation, regulatory enforcement, economic opportunity, access to public information, and meaningful participation in policy decisions that shape their work.
“The findings of this audit simply formalize concerns that fishers have been raising for decades,” Aldana said. “Unlike past policy reports that collect dust on policymakers’ desks, all recommendations included in this audit are intentionally practical and achievable. They are not designed to target any single agency or stakeholder group. Instead, they aim to foster cross-sector collaboration between government bodies, fishing cooperatives, civil society, non-governmental organizations, and other key partners with a stake in Belize’s fishing industry. Our ultimate goal is stronger, more equitable fisheries management, improved communication between all stakeholders, and a permanent, amplified seat at the table for the people who depend on these waters for their living.”
Beyond governance and management failures, fishers also highlighted unregulated widespread dredging operations as an immediate, growing threat to marine ecosystems. The practice, they warned, is rapidly destroying critical fish breeding grounds and foundational coastal habitats that sustain healthy fish populations for generations.
This report comes as Belize celebrates 52 years of membership in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), a milestone focused on advancing people-centered opportunity across the region – a framing that adds urgency to fishers’ calls to protect a core sector that supports coastal communities nationwide.