Fly fishing is a multi-million dollar industry in Belize. It attracts high end tourists who come from all over the world and are ready to spend big. That's why when fly fishing guides saw dredging equipment at one of their most popular spots, their alarm bells went off. And instead of waiting for development to begin, they gathered as many people as they could on a Friday and immediately set off to Angelfish Caye - about an hour off the coast of Placencia, and known by the locals as Will Bauer flats.
But these guides say that the eco-friendly lodge planned is anything but that - and instead will do more damage to the nearby reef, marine life, and the livelihoods of dozens of tour guides and fishermen.
Courtney Menzies went out to the flats with them today and has this story.
Courtney Menzies:
"Will Bauer flats is fly fishing heaven - the only guaranteed space to find both the prized permit and bonefish. But this dredging equipment proves that there's about to be some big development out here that could threaten not only the livelihoods of Southern tour guides but also the tourism industry."
And these local tour guides are determined to stop development:
Eworth Garbutt, Tour Guide/Ag. President, BFFA
"This is not a knee-jerk approach, this is a proactive approach and still they think they could beat us to the game. In 2021, we signed a petition, we got numbers and names, we got a lot of things from people, over 300, furthermore, we wrote letters, fortunately in 2022, we thought this was over with."
"When I got the call from Dan Castellano, my friend, yesterday evening late when I came in from fly fishing, he said, Eworth, before he even said anything, he sent pictures, and you know what pictures say right, a thousand words, you don't need to talk. And I saw this catastrophic thing about to happen on our flat. Let's clarify, not a Caye, on Will Bauer flat. They still went ahead and did this. And fortunately with certain connections I found out that they did get their EIA approved the 23rd of November, 2023."
And all fly fishing guides know if you want to hit the trifecta - permit, tarpon, and bonefish - Will Bauer has your back. So while they're not trying to discourage development, they say that losing their flats is unacceptable.
But while the dredging equipment was already set up, there were no barges in sight - and Garbutt says the developer got lucky.
Eworth Garbutt, Tour Guide/Ag. President, BFFA
"I think it's actually a privilege that the barge is not here yet because I wouldn't have time to interview, I would have time to disconnect things because this one won't happen."
"Those guys probably would have come here today but we live in a small community, so everybody knows your next step. The next step though is that this isn't going to make a next step."
And Garbutt's not fighting alone - a little less than 30 tour guides, NGO representatives, and fly fishers gave up a day of work and vacation to head out to the flats - some as old as 83, some new to the industry, and some that traveled all the way from Riversdale.
Lincoln Westby, Fly Fishing Tour Guide
"I've been fly fishing for 51 years and this flat, Will Bauer flat, it was given that name because one day I came here with guy, Will Bauer, that had done a lot of fly fishing in this country. He's dead now and we hooked five permit and landed three, so we give it the name Will Bauer flat."
"It will affect the tourist industry because you have boats from Hopkins, Placencia, where people come out here and circle the whole of this reef. So it's not just fly fishing or sport fishing, it's the tourism industry completely that we are trying to protect."
Damion Nasario, Tour Guide
"I was an apprentice for three years with Mr Lincoln for fly fishing and this is the first flat, the first and only flat, that I have seen permit and bonefish tailing together and, man, every time I come here I'm excited because you're almost guaranteed you're going to see a fish or you're going to catch a fish. This is the only place for 7 miles to catch a bonefish and this really hurts me because maybe 8 months ago these same guys went to Hopkins and asked us if this was going to be a good lodge, if this was going to benefit our community back home but this place is going to bring more damage than profits to our country or to us as guides."
Hector Martinez, Fisherman
"Juvenile lobster, conch, fish, these are the places where they grow up and then they move over to where then I benefit off of it still, earlier I saw a sea cucumber over there, but this seems to be the area where they want to fill up so it's part of my work also."
And one career fly fisher says he doesn't want what happened in his home town to happen to Belize:
Captain O'Miller, Fly Fisher/Guide
"Just disappointed, in Florida we have a lot of development and I've watched development destroy flats and fishery as well so I just would hate to see the same thing happen here, it's a slippery slope and if it continues, you're going to watch your fishery disappear and the reason we come here is to experience your world class fishery so it would be very disappointing to see this happen. It would be a shame."
"The permit fishing here is just incredible, I was able to catch my first permit here and it's a hard fish to catch but I was able to get my first one after many years of trying in Florida and to be able to come here and get it done, just an incredible experience and again like if these things happen, development like this on this flat, that's just going to disappear, it's just not going to be available."
And that's why these guides won't give up. They're hoping things don't escalate, which is why their first move is to ask the developer to back off.
Eworth Garbutt, Tour Guide/Ag. President, BFFA
"We're not here destroying anything, we're leaving all of this, we talk to the watchman, but we're looking for tomorrow for him to please come and pack up his huge investment here."
Garbutt plans to head out to Will Bauer flats as many times as necessary to ensure that there is no dredging. We'll keep following the story.
