Last month, we told you how the conservationists at TIDE, the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment, were still finding gill nets inside the Port Honduras Marine Reserve.
The use of this type of fishing gear has been banned in Belize since November of last year, due to the damage they cause to marine ecosystems, habitats, and the coral reef. But once again, this enforcement agency has found another gill net inside Belize's sea spaces.
Last night, a patrol of TIDE rangers and the Belize Coast Guard came across a gill net in the Rio Grande area. It measured 82 meters or just over 269 feet.
Freelance journalist Jose Sanchez spoke to one of the TIDE rangers about this discovery:
The TIDE Rangers and the Belize Coast Guard frequently carry out enforcement operations late at night and in the early morning hours.
