The Community Management of Protected Areas Conservation Program, COMPACT, is all about teaching fishermen not how to fish, but how to fish more sustainably or parlay their seafaring skills into some other trade where they can make more money and over a longer period. This weekend the COMPACT program continued its work and 7NEWS was in the tiny community of Riversdale on the Placencia Peninsula for the handing over of a first funds that will sponsor that community's fishermen as they move from fishing into tourism. Alfonso Noble reports.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
Riversdale is a small fishing community on the Placencia Peninsula. It's laid back and tranquil but while life here seems to be all about serenity, in reality its not. Those who live here are largely dependent on the sea and more and more that livelihood is being threatened. What was once a bountiful sea is becoming depleted. It is here that COMPACT is playing a role. Coordinator Omar Gale handed over a check for $12,600 to the Riversdale Fishermen Association. The monies are to be used by the association to train 14 of its members in an alternative livelihood, moving away from fishing to tourism. The association president is Hector Martinez. He along with the project coordinator Guadalupe Campela share the same vision.
Hector Martinez, President
"We don't want to put all the pressure on the sea. We want to become tour guides because we live in a small village here but nobody is really a tour guide and the tourism here is getting better. We need tour guides."
Guadalupe Campela, Project Manager
"We believe that definitely there will be a big need to have more tour guides in the area and also that by doing this, also they could relieve the pressure on the reef because we are also right in front of the South Water Caye Marine Reserve. I believe then if these young men and women get trained to this tour guide and fly fishing, and dive master, that will definitely be something good for the community, something good for Belize, somebody good for all the Belizeans because by doing this, like I said, we will be relieving pressure on the reef."
Hector Martinez,
"We don't really intend to stop completely fishing, it is just to help relieve a lot of the pressure from the sea and basically not just depend on the sea because we have kids who are coming up and if things just finish out of the sea, then the future generations will get to see nothing."
But more than reducing the pressure on the marine resources in the area and in particular the South Water Caye Marine Reserve, those participating are looking at improving their livelihood. While the community is dependent on fishing more and more lobster which is the mainstay here is becoming less available. That means that for people like Maria del Cid and Alexander Castellanos the project will offer them an alternative.
Maria del Cid, Villager
"I work at the resort and we have people come in that would like to do fly fishing and we don't have anyone to do it. So I decided I could take the course and then maybe I could take out our guest. I know something about boats but I don't know anything about the flying fishing. That is the reason why I decided to take the course and so maybe I could take out our guests. I would get then to make more money so I could support myself and my child. So I am just looking for a better income."
Alexander Castellanos, Vaillager
"It is like an opportunity for me to do something else than just the regular dive fishing for lobster and so because sometimes it really really gets scarce and I need for myself to do something else because I need another way to make money because when the product really gets scarce, it is hard to maintain, to help out my family because I have to help out my mom and so. I feel like it is an opportunity for me. I don't think I would give up the fishing but it would be like something else to do. I will have something else to do like right now how crayfish season is closing. Right now tourism is coming in a lot and so I guess that is an opportunity for me."
And while its better for him on a whole that is what COMPACT's goal is, to reduce the strain on marine resources while creating alternatives for those who use those resources.
The total grant to the Riversdale Fishermen Association is $42,199 which will be used for leadership training, tour guide, dive master, sport fishing and education field visits to the South Water Caye Marine Reserve.
