BACKGROUND LEGISLATION
AND POLICY SUPPORT
Fishing
According to
Honduran Law, the whole of the Bay Islands is protected as
a marine reserve, prohibiting the use of spear guns and certain
nets within the region. Unfortunately, without any active
enforcement, spear fishing is a chronic issue on Roatán
and the rest of the Bay Islands. With the help of the
National Police force, the SBWEMP has been able to significantly
decrease illegal activities occurring within the park, arresting
offenders and confiscating their possessions.
Currently, when
poachers are arrested, they spend 24 hours in jail and are
then released. Unfortunately, high levels of unemployment
on the island are leaving some people with no option other
than to fish to feed their families. While this form of subsistence
has supported families for generations in Roatan, the massive
increase in population has multiplied fishing pressure in
recent years to a level that simply cannot be sustained by
Roatan's reef ecosystem. Consequently, people are resorting
to taking smaller and smaller individuals in order to maintain
their catch rates. Although the penalty for getting caught
with undersized animals is a night in jail, most of the perpetrators
simply don't have a choice. As such, an important objective
of the RMP is not only to maintain fishing at sustainable
levels, but also to foster initiatives for generating alternative
livelihoods for these people.
Trade in Endangered Species
One hope in the
near future for the SBWEMP is creating key alliances with
the tourist police and airport authorities to try and avoid
the export of collected corals and other threatened organisms.
Although the sale of marine curios is illegal under international
treaties ratified by Honduras, black coral, conch shells,
sea horses, shark fins and even turtle shells are readily
available on street corners and in some resorts.
 
One issue is
the lack of knowledge on the purchaser's behalf, with many
not realizing the implications of their actions while purchasing
souvenirs. Through the education of tourists, it is hoped
that this trade can be halted, thereby reducing the harvest
of sensitive and endangered organisms. Many countries throughout
the world have strict regulations in regards to the curios
trade, banning the export of corals and endangered animals,
with large fines given to offenders.
Occasionally,
problems arise with some recreational divers who are unable
or unwilling to control their buoyancy under water or insist
upon removing items, such as soft corals and shells from the
marine environment. These individuals are being approached
and informed of the consequences of their actions by trained
staff within each dive shop.
l Backl
|
