The conch season opened at one minute after midnight on Sunday - but just a few small hours before that, Fisheries officers caught 12 Fishermen from the village of Chunox, in the Corozal district with 1,118 out of season conch.
They were caught 2 miles south of the Blue Hole National Monument, near lighthouse Reef Atoll. The 12 men appeared in court today and pleaded guilty to the charge of possession of conchs during the closed season. In total they were fined $55,900 dollars which they agreed to split evenly amongst themselves.
In addition to this 7 of the men were fined $1,000 each to be paid by January 31, 2024, in default 3 months in jail, while another three were fined $1,500 each for being repeat offenders. The band of fishers must pay the courts no later than February 28th 2024 or in default face imprisonment.
