And while Oceana continues to fight against gillnets, the Coast Guard continues to fight against another marine threat: coastal pirates. That unit and the police department have been working to safeguard fishermen who are routinely preyed upon by these roving criminals. And while a group of six suspected pirates have been caught in Honduras, Belizean waters are not considered safe yet.
Today, we asked Minister of Defence, Florencio Marin Jr, about the safety of the fisherfolk in Sarteneja, in his Corozal Southeast constituency.
He told us that they have already made a visit to those fishers to try and quell their anxieties when out at sea.
Hon. Florencio Marin - Minister of Defense "I don't know if you remember a couple weeks ago, I had asked the commander, the commissioner and others to come and accompany me in Sarteneja to speak directly to the community and I believe at that personal intervention of our security forces and our police department, you know they came and dialogue one on one with the community and I think whatever cooperation occurred there you could see the results today, so I believe the fishermen now, not just Sarteneja, throughout the country, I believe these fishermen now are quite happy now that we have managed to detained all of these criminals. So now we have to make sure we pursue them to the fullest extent of the law. As well I think it's not just the fishermen but I think the country n a whole is relieved to get some good news like that and again it just shows that when we work together, we're stronger together."
This trip up north took place on February 17th
