Applicants for Belize commercial fishing licenses must apply to the Fisheries Administrator. Applicants must complete an application form, pay a fee and possess a Belizean passport or voter identification card. They must also present proof of legal residence or a Belize birth certificate. To receive a license to fish, applicants must be at least 18 years of age and prove that they have been living in Belize for at least six months prior to applying for a fishing license.
Before the 2010 regulations went into effect, a commercial fishing license expired each year in the month of the holder’s birth. Under the new law, all fishing licenses are good for one year and expire at the end of the calendar year. The law was put into effect to relieve the political pressure exerted on officials to issue licenses to unqualified applicants. The Minister of Fisheries and fisheries officials are required by law to adhere to these regulations.
The Coastal Zone Management Authority Institute issues licenses for fishing in coastal zones of Belize. The cost of a sport fishing license is $20 per week or $50 per month; qualified applicants can purchase an annual license for $100. The Department of Fisheries and the Coast Guard of Belize enforce sport-fishing regulations, and fines can run as high as $500 or six months in jail. Anglers must release any bonefish or tarpon they catch.
Overfishing in the barrier reefs in Belize’s waters has endangered some fish species. Fishing for the parrotfish, the doctor fish and the surgeonfish, as well as herbivores that help maintain algae growth in which the corals flourish, is prohibited in the reef areas. Fishing for the endangered Nassau grouper is regulated; anyone who catches a grouper must report the catch and bring the fish in whole so the catch can be monitored. The new regulations also require “no-take” zones in areas that have been overfished. Scuba divers cannot fish with spearguns; however, free-diving swimmers and snorkelers can fish with spearguns. South Water Caye and Sapodilla Cayes wildlife areas as well as Pelican Cayes, where sea squirts and rare sponges live, are no-take zones.
