Fisheries (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (S.I. No. 106 of 2022)

BELIZE: FISHERIES (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 2022 ARRANGEMENT OF REGULATIONS 1. Citation. 2. Amendment of regulation 3. 3. Amendment of regulation 8. 4. Amendment of regulation 8:01. 5. Amendment of regulation 8:03. 6. Amendment of regulation 26:02. 7. Amendment of regulation 26:05. 8. Insertion of regulation 26.08. 9. Amendment of Third Schedule. 10. Insertion of Eight Schedule. Fisheries Resources No. 106] Fisheries Resources 1 Citation. BELIZE: STATUTORY INSTRUMENT No. 106 of 2022 REGULATIONS made by the Minister responsible for fisheries in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by section 87 of the Fisheries Resources Act, Chapter 210 of the Substantive Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2020, and all other powers thereunto him enabling. (Gazetted 16th July, 2022) 1. These Regulations may be cited as the FISHERIES (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 2022, and shall be read and construed as one with the Fisheries Regulations, which, as amended, are hereinafter referred to as the principal Regulations. Sub. Leg. 1991 Edn. Vol. IV CAP. 174 p.7 S.I. 68 of 1990. S.I. 139 of 1990. S.I. 168 of 1991. S.I. 169 of 1991. S.I. 154 of 1992. S.I. 55 of 1993. S.I. 143 of 1993. S.I. 34 of 1996. S.I.155 of 1996. S.I. 27 of 1997. S.I. 68 of 1997. S.I. 76 of 1997. S.I. 123 of 1997. S.I. 13 of 1999. S.I. 66 of 2002. S.I. 56 of 2003. 2 Fisheries Resources [No. 106 2. The principal Regulations are amended in regulation 3– (a) in sub-regulation (1)(b), by deleting the words “15th February and the 14th June” and substi tuting the words “1st March and the 30th of June”; and (b) by inserting the following new sub-regulations immediately after sub-regulation (1)– “(1A) No person shall set any lobster trap in the fi sheries waters of Belize during the period 1st March to 30th June. (1B) Notwithstanding sub-regulation (1A), a person licensed to fish for crawfish may set a lobster trap in the fisheries waters of Belize from the 15th of June if the lobster trap is closed and unable to catch crawfish.”. 3. The principal Regulations are amended in regulation 8(2) by deleting the words “one hundred yards of the Barrier Reef” and substituting the words “three hundred yards of the Barrier Reef or any patch reef”. Amendment of regulation 3. S.I. 90 of 2003. S.I. 103 of 2003. S.I. 23 of 2005. S.I. 135 of 2005. S.I. 1 of 2010. S.I. 10 of 2011. S.I. 78 of 2011. S.I. 52 of 2012. S.I. 54 of 2012. S.I. 88 of 2012. S.I. 81 of 2019. S.I. 57 of 2021. S.I. 128 of 2021. S.I. 105 of 2022. Amendment of regulation 8. No. 106] Fisheries Resources 3 4. The principal Regulations are amended in regulation 8:01– (a) by inserting the following new sub-regulation immediately after sub-regulation (1) “(1A) No person authorized to take fi sh from fi sheries waters using a trap shall take crawfi sh using a lobster trap unless the lobster trap has a biodegradable panel.”; and (b) in sub-regulation (3) by deleting the words “lobster trap or”. 5. The principal Regulations are amended in regulation 8:03 by inserting the following new sub-regulation immediately after sub-regulation (1)– “(1A) An authorization issued under sub-regulation (1) shall specify the number of traps allowed– (a) per fi sher; (b) per fi shing vessel; and (c) to be deployed in a particular fi shing area.”. 6. The principal Regulations are amended in regulation 26:02(1) by deleting the words “1st August to 31st October” and substituting the words 1st May to 31st October”. 7. The principal Regulations are amended in regulation 26:05(1)(a) by deleting the word “August” and substituting the word “May”. 8. The principal Regulations are amended by inserting the following new regulation immediately after regulation 26:07– Restriction on fishing within two miles radius of atolls. Amendment of regulation 8:01. Amendment of regulation 8:03. Amendment of regulation 26:02. Amendment of regulation 26:05 Insertion of regulation 26:08. 4 Fisheries Resources [No. 106 26:08–(1) No person shall, within a radius of 2 miles of Turneffe Atoll, Glover’s Reef Atoll or Lighthouse Reef Atoll– (a) fish using hooks greater than 12/0; (b) fish using any unanchored or drifting longline; or (c) fish for sharks (all species in the Superorder Selachimorpha). (2) A person who lands a shark while fishing for any other fish allowed to be landed within a radius of 2 miles of Turneffe Atoll, Glover’s Reef Atoll or Lighthouse Reef Atoll, shall immediately release the shark in the same state it was landed. (3) For the purposes of this regulation– “Glover’s Reef Atoll” means the area specified in the Schedule of the Fisheries (Glovers Reef Marine Reserve) Order, 2001; “Lighthouse Reef Atoll” means the area specified in the Eight Schedule; and “Turneffe Atoll” means the area specified in Schedule 1 of the Fisheries (Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve) Order, 2021; 9. The principal Regulations are amended in the Third Schedule by repealing Form 3 and replacing it with the following– S.I. 137 of 2001. Eight Schedule. S.I. 105 of 2012. Amendment of Third Schedule. Restriction on fishing within two miles radius of atolls. “THIRD SCHEDULE [regulation 8:03] FORM 3 FORM OF AUTHORISATION – TRAPS ISSUED BY THE BELIZE FISHERIES DEPARTMENT Date of Authorisation: Name or Trap Owner: Fisherman Licence Number: Permanent Address: Fishing Area: Number of Traps per Fishing Area: Number of Traps per Fisher: Number of Traps per vessel: Type and Make of Traps: Signature of Offi cer Offi cial Stamp”. No. 106] Fisheries Resources 5 Printed in Belize by the Government Printer #1 Power Lane, Belmopan 10. The principal Regulations are amended by inserting the following new Schedule immediately after the Seventh Schedule– “EIGHT SCHEDULE [regulation 26:08(3)] LIGHTHOUSE REEF ATOLL All that portion of the Caribbean Sea, consisting of 123, 409 hectares and being described as follows– Commencing at a Point 1, and having scaled UTM coordinates 460 231 East 1 928 231 North; thence proceeding 26.9 km in a southerly direction to a Point 2, and having scaled UTM coordinates 451 097 East 1 902 899 North; thence proceeding 6.8 km to a Point 3, and having scaled UTM coordinates 451 081 East 1 896 089 North; thence proceeding 22.6 km to a Point 4, and having scaled UTM coordinates 431 658 East 1 884 578 North; thence proceeding 15.6 km in a northerly direction to a Point 5, and having scaled UTM coordinates 424 166 East 1 898 228 North; thence proceeding 39.7 km to a Point 6, and having scaled UTM coordinates 439 033 East 1 934 973 North; thence proceeding 14.3 km to a Point 7, and having scaled UTM coordinates 452 441 East 1 939 972 North; thence proceeding 14.1 km in a southerly direction to the Point of origin, and encompassing 1,234.09 square kilometers.”. MADE by the Minister responsible for fisheries this 11th day of July, 2022. Insertion of Eight Schedule. (HON. ABNER PEREZ) Minister of the Blue Economy & Civil Aviation (Minister responsible for fisheries) 6 Fisheries Resources [No. 106