At midday, we got an opportunity to speak with Admiral Elton Bennett in Belmopan. HE'S the head of the Belize Coast Guard, and we asked him about their enforcement mission against the Belizean citizens who wanted to save Silk Caye from further erosion. He explained that they didn't get the required environmental impact assessment:
Admiral Elton Bennett - Commandant, Belize Coast Guard
"So, over the weekend we were contacted by the Fisheries Department, on Saturday, the 30th of April, to conduct an operation in support of fisheries at Silk Caye. The mission was to deliver a message to some individuals who were out there, who were doing some ground work at Silk Caye. When we arrived at that location, we found about 25 to 30 persons at that location, with about ten to 12 boats, that location. What we discovered when we arrived was there were some individuals doing some groundwork to prevent further beach erosion. They had materials, construction materials. They had beach sand, they had a cement mixer at that location. And they were prepared to do some reclamation of the beach. We delivered that message on behalf of the fisheries department, and we advise them to cease what we are doing. Those individuals continued. They expressed the urgent need of getting that beach in a position where it would further deteriorate or further erode. And we did what we could have done on that day. The following day, the crowd increased. We had somewhere around 200 persons on the island, working on that initiative to prevent further beach erosion. We attempted to arrest those individuals. From what I gather from the patrol command on the ground, it could have escalated into a situation that we did not want. The patrol commander was very smart in terms of dialoguing with those individuals and dragging that process out. So following on from there, we arrested and charged two individuals who were there at that location. And that occurred in Placencia yesterday. So, the Fisheries Department will now follow through, in terms of prosecuting those cases against those individuals that were in violation."
We also asked about the enforcement of the law in the context of the good intentions of this community effort. Here's what the Commandant of the Coast Guard said:
Daniel Ortiz
"I see the point that is being made that they did. They flouted an important environmental aspect of the Fisheries Act. But right-thinking Belizeans may observe that and say 'Look, the principle that they're trying to put into practice is what is important as well.' This beachfront, like all other coastal areas of the country, continues to degrade on a daily basis due to erosion. And nobody seems to be doing anything to try to arrest it. They went to try to do something."
Admiral Elton Bennett - Commandant, Belize Coast Guard
"I know that the Silk Caye Marine Reserve is very very important for Belize, in terms of tourism, in terms of fisheries, and in terms of just maintaining a pristine marine environment for Belizeans. And I am aware that the Fisheries Department and the Blue Economy [ Ministry] are very interested in doing some work on the island. They just want to ensure that what material goes out there does not impact or throw off the ecosystem, and that level of work done on the island is done properly in terms of getting an Environmental Impact Assessment done. So, you can know what type of material, and where best to put those materials. So that's the procedure that We want to follow."
And while the Coast Guard and the relevant authorities say it's about the law - Garbutt says it's also about turf and money of "the experts":
Eworth Garbutt, Tour Guide
"This thing is so scary, I think a lot of people feel threatened because imagine what takes you to do in 10 years with millions of dollars, this community will end up doing it in 2 weekends. We have done half way through in one weekend and we are not asking the government for a dollar. How could you compare quality a product if you give a contract two different person, one for profit and one because you life depend on it, not to play like your life depend on it, one for your life depend on it, all chips are in for this job to get it right. When it comes to the standard of that break wall is, it wasn't bypassed, any dollar wasn't cut. We actually went - they say they need the Geotech, it's like a blanket, instead of putting one, we put 4."
