For the next two days personnel from the Ministry of Agriculture and persons who manage continental water bodies are gathering at the Biltmore Plaza Hotel to come up with a plan for the inventory of Belize's bodies of waters.
Senior Fisheries Officer George Myvette says that under PREPAC, the 'regional plan for continental fisheries and aquaculture project,' Belize is asked to come up with an inventory of bodies of water to explore their potential and to ensure their protection.
George Myvette, Senior Fisheries Officer
"The focus of this program is to identify those water bodies that are of ecological value and that are of economic and social importance. It is a process certainly nationally that will involve some technical work in terms of characterizing these water bodies. So for example there is a technical team within the Fisheries Department that will be inventorying a number of water bodies. And in this case the water bodies are the still water bodies in Belize. This is a process that involves an inventory of the use of the resources by humans and of course this is being done with a view to ensure that optimum value and sustainable value is obtained from inland fresh water bodies. This process has been precipitated essentially by the fact that there has been historically a major focus on the management of marine fisheries. And throughout Central America we recognize that there is a need to prioritize the management of fisheries in continental or inland water bodies so that the benefits could be accrued to those impacting these resources on a sustained basis."
The workshop will end tomorrow with the final objective of the PREPAC project being the identification of one water body that will be worked on to maximize the use of resources as well as protection of it.
Gold Rush Time at Courts
For Courts Belize customers it is that time of the month again. No, your payment isn't due yet but what we are talking about is the monthly Courts Gold Rush draw.
Five people were chosen this morning and on Sunday one will get the chance to spin their way to as much as $5,000. Gold Rush Host Rafael Martinez gave us the breakdown on Saturday's show which for the first time will be held at the BTL Park.
Rafael Martinez, Gold Rush Host
"Well this is the time of the month when we draw five names from the red and blue barrel just behind me. We have a couple thousand tickets in there and five names were selected this morning. And out of those five names one will spin to win up to $5,000 tax free and the others will get to win up to $500 worth of prizes. And it will happen this Sunday at the BTL park at 4 in the afternoon. It is the first time we are actually going out doors so this should be good."
Keith Swift,
Why is the show being moved outdoors?
Rafael Martinez,
"Well we're moving to where the people are. That is (BTL Park) where the people congregate and we are trying to give them something."
Keith Swift
We know you are going to be at the BTL Park on Sunday but will your dancers be with you."
Rafael Martinez,
"Definitely the girls will be out there and it will be a show you will not forget."
The five names which rolled out of the barrel today were Miguel Tellez, Irma Guzman, and Martha Novelo all from the Orange Walk District along with Therese Baptist from Burrell Boom and Vicente August from the Belama Area of Belize City.