{"id":3175,"date":"2012-10-15T16:59:57","date_gmt":"2012-10-15T15:59:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bvblog.wpengine.com\/?p=3175"},"modified":"2014-04-25T13:26:52","modified_gmt":"2014-04-25T12:26:52","slug":"diving-deep-in-belize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/diving-deep-in-belize\/","title":{"rendered":"Diving deep in Belize"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Jen Chapman, Country Coordinator, Belize<\/p>\n

The queen conch (Strombus gigas<\/em>) fishery in Belize is valued at approximately US$ 3,000,000 \u00a0per year and engages over 3,000 licensed fishermen nationally. Despite non-destructive fishing methods (free-divers collect conch off the seafloor by hand), seasonal closure of the fishery, and a large network of Marine Protected Areas, the level of extraction has been reported as unsustainable, with a declining population since the 1980s.<\/p>\n

Given the importance and depleted-state of this fishery, the Belize Fisheries Department<\/a> (BFD) is exploring the hypothesis that a deep-water stock of reproductive conch exists in Belize, and if so, whether it acts as a source for the shallow-water population.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The queen conch – a royal specimen but it needs protection<\/p><\/div>\n

Blue Ventures\u2019 Belize team assisted the BFD in their efforts to identify potential deep-water conch populations, carrying out two surveys in Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve. All conch located along belt transects 20-30 metres deep were tallied and measured for shell length and lip thickness. This information is used to determine population size and maturity.<\/p>\n

Whilst the first step towards sustainable extraction is to better understand the distribution and connectivity of local conch populations, it is important to remember that the existence of a fully-protected deep-water reproductive stock does not imply that the current rate of extraction can be maintained.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Jen Chapman, Country Coordinator, Belize The queen conch (Strombus gigas) fishery in Belize is valued at approximately US$ 3,000,000 \u00a0per year and engages over 3,000 licensed fishermen nationally. 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