Fisheries Resources (Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve) Order (S.I. No. 131 of 2024)

BELIZE: FISHERIES RESOURCES (BACALAR CHICO MARINE RESERVE) ORDER, 2024 ARRANGEMENT OF PARAGRAPHS 1. Citation. 2. Declaration of marine reserve. 3. Map of marine reserve. 4. Repeal. SCHEDULE I SCHEDULE II Fisheries Resources No. 131] Fisheries Resources 1 Citation. Declaration of marine reserve. Schedule I. CAP. 210. BELIZE: STATUTORY INSTRUMENT No. 131 of 2024 ORDER made by the Minister responsible for fisheries in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by section 14(1)(b) of the Fisheries Resources Act, Chapter 210 of the Substantive Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2020, and all other powers thereunto him enabling. (Gazetted 17th October, 2024). 1. This Order may be cited as the FISHERIES RESOURCES (BACALAR CHICO MARINE RESERVE) ORDER, 2024. 2. The area specified in Schedule I is hereby declared to be a marine reserve for the purpose of the Fisheries Resources Act. 3. A map of the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve is set out in Schedule II. 4. The Fisheries (Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve) Order, 2001, is repealed. Map of marine reserve. Schedule II. Repeal. Sub Leg, 2020 Edn. CAP. 210 p.215. 2 Fisheries Resources [No. 131 Fisheries Resources 3 SCHEDULE I [paragraph 2] BACALAR CHICO MARINE RESERVE ALL THAT PORTION of the Caribbean Sea named the BACALAR CHICO MARINE RESERVE, fully described using the North American Datum of 1927 (NAD27) and scaling all coordinates in meters within Zone 16 North of the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) projection, and more fully described as follows– The first major polygon of the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve, commencing at a point, on the Belize-Mexico Maritime Border, having coordinates 401,293 East, 2008,910 North; thence in a generally South-Eastern direction, along the Belize-Mexico Maritime Border, for approximately 3.134 Kilometers to a point, on the Belize-Mexico Maritime Border, having coordinates 403,414.704 East, 2006,883.718 North; thence in a generally North-Eastern direction, along the Belize-Mexico Maritime Border, for approximately 7.662 Kilometers to a point, on the Belize-Mexico Maritime Border, having coordinates 408,552.008 East, 2012,286.700 North; thence in a generally South- Eastern direction, along the Belize-Mexico Maritime Border, for approximately 1.310 Kilometers to a point, on the Belize Mexico Maritime Border, having coordinates 408,989.670 East, 2011,234.812 North; thence in a generally South-Western direction, along the Coastline of Ambergris Caye, for approximately 50.711 Kilometers to a point on the Coastline having coordinates 401,293.000 East, 1997,788.559 North; thence North for approximately 6.00 Nautical Miles (11.122 Kilometers) to the point of origin, enclosing the first major polygon of the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve, excluding the smaller cayes within this area located approximately at the following coordinates: A: 408,357 East, 2011,494 North; B: 405,678 East, 2006,074 North; C: 405,784 East, 2005,676 North; D: 403,044 East, 1999,922 North; E: 403,420 East, 1999,850 North; F: 403648 East, 1999601 North; then including the second major polygon of the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve, commencing at a point on the Belize-Mexico Maritime Border having coordinates 410,370 East, 2010,827 North; thence generally in North-Eastern direction, along the Belize-Mexico Maritime Border, for approximately 1.304 Kilometers to a point, on the same border, having coordinates 411,556 East, 2011,322 North; thence in a generally Eastern direction for approximately 1.739 Kilometers to a point, on the same border, having coordinates 413,276 East, 2011,387 North; thence South-South-East for approximately 0.62 Nautical Mile (1.145 Kilometers) to a point having coordinates 413,566 East, 2010,279 North; thence further South-South-East for approximately 1.45 Nautical Miles (2.679 Kilometers) to a point having coordinates 414,228 East, 2007,683 North; thence South for approximately 0.782 Nautical Mile (1.45 kilometers) to a point having coordinates 414327.737029763 East No. 131] Fisheries Resources 3 Fisheries Resources 4 2006238.7876697 North; thence East for approximately 12.953 Nautical Miles (23.99 kilometers) to a point having coordinates 438314.623474746 East 2006540.6629976 North; thence South for approximately 4.287 Nautical Miles (7.94 kilometers) to a point having coordinates 438280.724000003 East 1998599.0000000 North; thence West for approximately Nautical Miles(29.43 kilometers) to a point having coordinates 408852.000000000 East 1998600.000 North; thence North West for approximately 1.06 Nautical Mile (1.955 Kilometers) to a point on the Ambergris Caye Coastline having coordinates 407,333 East, 1999,831 North; thence in a generally North-Eastern direction, along the Ambergris Caye Coastline, for approximately 3.833 Nautical Miles (7.100 Kilometers) to a point, on the Coastline, having coordinates 412,460.4 East, 2003,923.7 North; thence further in a generally North-North-Western direction, along the Ambergris Caye Coastline, for approximately 4.153 Nautical Miles (7.692 Kilometers) to the point of origin, excluding the High Protection for Biodiversity Zone 7, enclosing the second major polygon of the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve, both major polygons encompassing a total area of approximately 23,994.574 Hectares (239.945 Square Kilometers), and comprising of the following zones– PRESERVATION ZONE Comprising of approximately 280.247 Hectares (2.802 Square Kilometers) and commencing at the northeast most point of the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve having scaled UTM coordinates of 413277 East and 2011384 North; thence in a Southeasterly direction for an approximate distance of 1,149 meters to a point having scaled UTM coordinates of 413566 East and 2010279 North; thence in a Southwesterly direction for a distance of approximately 2,380 meters to a point having scaled UTM coordinates of 411250 East and 2009724 North; thence in a Northeasterly direction for a distance of approximately 1,396 meters to a point where it meets the Northern boundary of the said marine reserving having scaled UTM coordinates of 411509 East and 2011078 North; thence in a Northeasterly direction for a distance of approximately 1,830 meters to the point of commencement. CONSERVATION ZONE I Comprising of approximately 636.041 Hectares (6.360 Square Kilometers) and commencing at the southeastern most point of the Preservation Zone and having scaled UTM coordinates of 413566 East and 2010279 North; thence in a Southeasterly direction for a distance of approximately 2,675 meters to a point having the scale UTM coordinates of 414228 East and 2007 683 North; thence in a Southwesterly direction for a distance of approximately 2,424 meters to a point having scaled UTM coordinates of 411858 East and 2007178 North; thence Northwesterly for a distance of approximately 2,622 meters to a point 4 Fisheries Resources [No. 131 Fisheries Resources 5 having scaled UTM coordinates 411250 East and 2009725 North; thence Northeasterly along the southern boundary of the Preservation Zone for a distance of approximately 2, 380 meters to the point of commencement. CONSERVATION ZONE II Comprising of approximately 528.262 Hectares (5.282 Square Kilometers) commencing at a point along the eastern boundary of the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve having scaled UTM coordinates of 414430 East and 2004758 North; thence in a Southerly direction along the eastern boundary of the Marine Reserve for a distance of approximately 725 meters to a point having scaled UTM coordinates of 4143 70 East and 2004035 North; thence in a Southwesterly direction along the eastern boundary of the Marine Reserve for a distance of approximately 2,373 meters to a point having scaled UTM coordinates of 412832 East and 2001141 North; thence in a Southwesterly direction continuing along the boundary of the Marine Reserve for a distance of approximately 2,683 meters to a point having scaled UTM coordinates of 410434 East and 2001013 North; thence in a Northwesterly direction for a distance of approximately 1,480 meters until it meets the Eastern boundary of Bacalar Chico National Park at a point having scaled UTM coordinates of 4095 10 East and 2002163 North; thence in a Northerly direction along the eastern boundary of the National Park for a distance of approximately 4,831 meters to a point having scaled UTM coordinates of 412015 East and 2004777 North; thence in an easterly direction for a distance of approximately 2,405 meters to the point of commencement. GENERAL USE ZONE All the area of the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve comprising of approximately 22,550.022 Hectares (225.500 Square Kilometers), except for the areas designated and described as the Preservation Zone, the Conservation Zone I, the Conservation Zone II, and the Spawning Aggregation Site, Rocky Point. No. 131] Fisheries Resources 5 Fisheries Resources 6 SCHEDULE II [paragraph 3] MAP OF THE BACALAR CHICO MARINE RESERVE MADE by the Minister responsible for fisheries this day of , 2024. (HON. ABNER PEREZ) Minister of the Blue Economy and Disaster Risk Management (Minister responsible for fisheries) MADE by the Minister responsible for fisheries this day of , 2024. (HON. ABNER PEREZ) Minister of the Blue Economy and Disaster Risk Management (Minister responsible for fisheries) Printed in Belize by the Government Printer #1 Power Lane, Belmopan, Belize, C.A.