And switching now to some news that isn't crime or politics, Belize has named its newest fisher of the year.
She's Dangriga's own Vonetta Dawson and she was awarded the prize this morning at a ceremony hosted at the UWI Open Campus.
Cherisse Halsall attended and brought back the following story:
Dangriga resident Vonetta Dawson was named fisher of the year this morning in a ceremony hosted by the Nature Conservancy, the Ministry of the Blue Economy, and the Wildlife Conservation Society.
And moments after the win, she told news cameras why the title of fisherwoman is such an integral part of her identity.
Vonetta Dawson, Fisher of The Year
"It's my life, I love fishing, I take care of my family with fishing, and everything it's fishing is my life I won't give up on fishing I will die on the sea. My main job is deep sea fishing but lobster season is open so I will be doing the lobster."
"From a baby my dad was a fisher, Samuel Dawson, most people know him as SAMY he was one of Belize's famous fly fishers also, but he passed, and being on the island with my dad I fell in love. So I continued and fishing was in my family from all around so I enjoyed it."
"And the thing about being a woman in fishing, if you aren't fishing with your spouse, or your dad, or your uncle it's hard to get on another boat and go fish because they look at us as woman and don't really believe that we dive, we manned an engine, we hauled the nets but we do exactly the same stuff as the guys do."
Fisherwomen also face the same natural challenges, and Vonetta says she's no stranger to the hardships of the trade including riding out a storm on the sea.
Vonetta Dawson, Fisher of The Year
"The worst storm I ever faced? You watch that movie The Perfect Storm, something like that, that was the worst one that I ever faced thinking I wouldn't make it home so I got my gas tank and I tied my waist and everything but thanks to that man up there we made it and that was like in the Caribbean sea, across and we had a storm just pop and we couldn't do anything but try stand it and get home safe."
And while Vonetta took up her father's chosen trade we asked her if any of her kids are poised to do the same.
Vonetta Dawson, Fisher of The Year
"My sons, my sons love fishing, my daughter goes along sometimes but she says she's more of a tourist than fishing and diving and stuff but both my sons. I have one grandson and he loves the water because we have this trend and I have a niece, when they're three months old I go and get them and say let's see if you will be a fisher and i'll take them out to the sea for the day only on the water not on land and see if they will be okay with it so they pass so far."
We also asked Dawson about the recent controversy surrounding the size of lobster tails, she says she's all for sustainable fishing but felt that in this instance the NGO's hadn't been listening to fishers.
