Piracy in Belizean waters sounds like something out of the 18th Century but rest assured it's a pursuit that remains alive and well today. So much so that the Coast Guard Has been charged with acting as escorts to fishermen, who at this time of the year risk losing their valuable lobster catches and equipment to modern day pirates.
It's a story you've heard time and time again, one that sometimes ends in mystery with fishermen disappeared into the forever unknown.
And yesterday we spoke to the Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence and Border Security, Oscar Mira who told us how they plan to tackle piracy head on.
Oscar Mira, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries.
"We have or we have been getting or briefing from the commandant of the coast guard and we have given him the support that he needs in terms of resources in terms of extra fuel to ensure that he escorts the patrols that are needed in the area, it has been an annual occurrence as far as I'm told whenever the lobster season is coming to a close you know and the fishermen are bringing in their produce there's this flare-up in piracy at sea. The coast guard is working very hard and I was pleased that when I went to visit them I could see the coast guard coming in escorting some of the fishermen that were out at sea. It is an issue that we're going to tackle head-on. We are also working with our partners to ensure that the other stakeholders have a say in this as well so it's not just a responsibility of the Coast guard but the police are also working on it and they have been gathering a lot of information and intelligence on what is happening."
"We will continue to ensure that the Coast Guard has the resources needed and that the Coast Guard has the information and intelligence gathering capability so that we have operations that are targeted at sea."
