The Belize government has been outlining reasons why it impounded a Jamaican vessel involved in deep-sea fishing under a joint initiative with a local company.

A government statement said that in September this year, a joint-venture agreement had been signed between the Rio Grande Fishing Cooperative of Jamaica and PG Fisheries Ltd of Belize, which would result in an investment of US$850,000 into Punta Gorda Town for the construction of a fish-processing and an ice-making plant.

The statement said that the plant would have been used to process, package and market deep-sea fish caught under the joint initiative.

Project proposal

However, it said that both parties were informed in October that they must submit a project proposal in order for the foreign vessel to obtain a deep sea fishing licence, since it was necessary to determine the species of the fish caught, as well as the size of fishing vessels, fishing gear and the methods of fishing so as to ensure compliance with the fisheries regulations in Belize.

"This project proposal has not, to date, been submitted to the Fisheries Department. The investors were then informed by officials that no licence can or will be issued to them for deep-sea fishing as they failed to submit a project proposal, aside from the fact that there is no management regime for deep-sea fishing in Belize. In this case, the request for a project proposal was primarily to verify the purpose of the joint-venture agreement."

Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Rene Montero, who attended a meeting of the Fisheries Advisory Board last week, reiterated his support for the Fisheries Department regarding the stance taken on the non-issuance of licences for deep-sea fishing in Belize.

Management regime

"It was agreed that a management regime, which would be tasked with the specific responsibility of issuing such licences, would be in place by March, 2010. In the interim, however, the minister is relying on the Fisheries Advisory Board and its technical personnel to monitor any such applications," the statement said.

It said that "at this time, the Jamaican vessel is impounded at Punta Gorda Town under Customs supervision" and that "the ministry would like to reinforce that absolutely no licences will be granted or given to any foreign fisherman or vessel".