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2004 Placencia
News Archives |
24 December 2004
Holiday Bus and Boat
Schedules (from the Placencia Tourist Center):
-
Christmas Day:
-
Placencia to Dangriga:
Southern
Transport Bus 1:30PM Only – This will connect with a bus leaving
Dangriga @ 5pm going to Belmopan & on to Belize City but it will not
meet connections via Belmopan to San Ignacio.
-
Placencia
to Mango Creek then North: Hokey Pokey from the Kingfisher Landing @
6:45AM - This will connect with a bus leaving Mango Creek/Independence
shortly after 7am and then with a bus leaving Dangriga @ 8:30am going to
Belmopan & on to Belize City. The 8:30am bus will then meet a bus
leaving Belmopan to San Ignacio at 12:20, 1:30 & 3:30.
-
Placencia to Mango Creek then South:
Hokey Pokey from Shell Dock @4pm to meet a 5pm bus to Punta Gorda. –
There is no connection from PG to Puerto Barrios Guatemala on Christmas
Day.
-
Punta Gorda to Puerto Barrios: no boats
-
Boxing Day:
-
Placencia to Dangriga: Southern
Transport Bus 1:30PM Only – This will connect with a bus leaving
Dangriga @ 5pm going to Belmopan & on to Belize City but it will not
meet connections via Belmopan to San Ignacio.
-
Placencia to Mango Creek then North: Regular schedule
-
Placencia to Mango Creek then South: Regular
schedule
-
Punta Gorda to Puerto Barrios: 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
9 December 2004
Deaths.
Wednesday's Amandala reported that Wendy Chamberlain, a former
resident of Placencia, was found dead in her home in Santa Elena in the Cayo
District. According to the Amandala, the last time Wendy was
seen alive was 30 November 2004. She was buried on 4 December in the
San Ignacio area.
4 December 2004
Health. Anthony
Eiley is back home and perambulating around Placencia. We understand
that the doctors in Belize City advised a bypass.
Babies. One 7+
pounder was born to Wyatt and Carina Cabral Friday morning around 1 a.m.
Anna is her name. Carlie, the eldest son, is VERY jealous.
Gas Stations. A
new one opened in Placencia Village and the Placencia Lagoon. It's
owned by MNM Hardware. No wonder Shell was so solicitous when I filled
up on Thursday. They even checked and filled the tires - presumably
with air. MNM Hardware is located just before the curve where Wallen's
and the basketball court are -- pretty much where the old dump was.
1 December 2004
Communications.
BTL has managed to restore some functions to its system, such as
international calls and email. No Internet, and the email is VERY
slow. BTL says that email messages were only stored on the server for
3 days, so most emails were lost while the system were down. (Some
messages appeared to bounce right away, so not sure what the real story is
here.)
What apparently happened to black out Belize from
most communication with the outside world?
BTL:
About ten (10) days ago, a CRUISE SHIP
off Cancun dragged its anchor over the Arcos-1
fiber optic cable that provides phone and data transmission services
to Belize, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, the
Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Curacao, plus
parts of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama
and Columbia.
The cruise ship really had no immediate effect because the Arcos-1
cable system is a circle, so everything was just
re-routed the other way around the circle.
However, this past Friday afternoon, a tanker dragged ITS
anchor over the Arcos 1 cable off Colombia.
Belize (and possibly Nicaragua) were the only Central American
countries that suffered through almost a
complete communications blackout. Why? Because
all the other Central American countries have redundant satellite
and fibre optic links which allowed them to go on about business as
usual.
BTL DID send Karen Bevans to Miami as soon as this occurred. (They
had to, since they couldn't call anyone.) And,
as you know, they have managed to re-route
traffic some other way, probably via satellite.
However, had some of the money that has been taken out of BTL's
exorbitant profits over the last 10 years been
put into some redundancy, BTL wouldn't be
jumping through hoops to try to fix this as soon as possible, and many of
Belizean tourism operators and lodging owners wouldn't have lost
hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars.
Starband. A
transponder failed Saturday (the day after BTL's cable caper) on
Starband's T7 satellite which services
consumers in the southern US and portions of the
Caribbean and Central America, including Belize.
Starband's GE-4 satellite
serving businesses was not affected.
Starband will be launching a new satellite
on 17 December, but it will be difficult to sight from Belize.
Therefore, we're not sure what will ultimately happen to most Starband
customersin the country.
29 November 2004
Communications.
There is indeed a break in the Arcos fibre optic cable system serving a
great portion of the Caribbean and Central America. The break occurred
in Columbia, and an Arcos representative estimated that it could take 8 days
to restore phone and Internet service to Central America! The Starband
satellite system is still not functioning either, so the only communication
Belize currently has with the outside world is the Direcway satellite
system. Let's hope nothing happens to it! If you are trying to
make reservations, and can't get through, please feel free to contact us at
info@destinationsbelize.com
and we'll try to relay messages to whoever you're trying to reach until this
gets straightened out.
Antonio Eiley had a
heart attack and was air lifted to Belize City this weekend. No word
today on his condition.
28 November 2004
Communications.
BTL remains out, both Internet AND international calls out of the country.
Apparently, the arcos cable was damaged between here and Miami and BTL has
no backup - fancy that. Conincidentally, Starband, the satellite
system used by many hotels and resorts for Internet access is also out -
something about a corrupted kernel. Direcway is still up and running,
otherwise, there would be no communications getting out of Belize at all.
No word yet on when anything will be repaired.
27 November 2004
BTL. BTL
Internet and email access have been down since yesterday afternoon.
International calls also cannot be made to or from Belize. Supposedly
a problem with a fiber-optic cable. But please be patient if you are
trying to reach someone in Belize, and can't get through. We're as
frustrated as you are.
25 November 2004
Cruise Ships.
Members of the Placencia BTIA (Belize Tourism Industry Association)
yesterday signed a petition supporting the action for judicial review of the
Carnival Cruise Line contract with the Government of Belize brought by the
National BTIA on behalf of Belize BTIA members. BTIA questions the
constitutionality of the contract which exempts Carnival Cruise Lines from
compliance with many of the nation's laws, grants tax and other revenue
concessions and does not obligate the cruise line to employ any Belizeans
unless "financially feasible." (Hiring Belizeans apparently won't be
financially feasible because of a contract Carnival has with a Mexican
organization.) Because the Government of Belize breached its
exclusivity contract with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines when it entered into
the Carnival contract, Belize will effectively get US$1 out of US$7 paid by
every cruise ship passenger landed in Belize. This US$1 will not cover
the interest on the money borrowed by the Government of Belize (at a rate of
10% or more per annum) for street improvements in Belize City, much less
improve infrastructure in Belize, and at sites such as Mayan ruins, which do
not have adequate waste and sewage handling capacity now, much less with the
addition of hundreds of thousands of cruise ship passengers per year.
Friends of Nature:
- Gladden Split Reserve has a new fee structure of
US$10 per non-resident of Belize for entry into the Reserve.
However, this fee may be reduced to US$5 by the end of 2004. Friends
of Nature did not know whether this fee will be included in the fee paid
for whale shark interaction in the Reserve, or will be in addition to the
interaction fee.
- The ranger station on Little Water Caye is
almost complete.
- Seven (7) new students have received
scholarships from the Bevier Foundation which grants the scholarships to
needy students to help defray the cost of attending high school.
Students must have a demonstrated interest in the environment.
- Mapping of the Gladden Spit Reserve and the
Placencia Lagoon is continuing. Mapping of the Lagoon is necessary
to be able to assess the impact of development (dredging and cutting of
mangroves) on the Lagoon.
- Sea grass monitoring continues both in the
Placencia Lagoon and at the cayes. Several varieties of sea grasses
not before believed to have been present in this area have been found in
both locations.
- An environmental educational program involving
propagation and planting of ornamental plants in Placencia Village kicked
off two weeks ago.
- A fly fishing guide training program will begin
in early December 2004.
- Demarcation buoys have been placed to mark the
Gladden Reserve Extraction Zones.
- Fisheries continues to arrest fishermen taking
fish out of season and/or diving for lobster and conch using tanks.
While these practices have long been blamed on fishermen from Honduras and
Guatemala, quite a few local fishermen have been arrested recently.
20 November 2004
Much apologies for the long hiatus in news.
There really wasn't much to report from the end of August through the end of
September, it being the mauga season here.
Then, I fell into computer hell, and am just
emerging, two laptops later -- one new one that was purchased in a panic the
day before I left the States to return to Belize after visiting family --
the other an IBM with a system board problem.
I hope I can remember everything . . .
Restaurants, Bars and Resorts
- Sugar Reef.
Sugar Reef burned to the ground last weekend. Several cabanas were
also destroyed. Arson is suspected. Hannah and Carol say they
plan to rebuild, but the premises weren't insured (or so it's said), so
who knows.
- La Dolce Vita (over
Wallen's Grocery) probably won't re-open this season. Rent went long
unpaid, and food quality was very erratic, or so it's said.
- Luba Hati. You
may recall that Franco and Mariucca sold Luba Hati to a young couple from
Colorado/New York/L.A. The young couple took a hike earlier this
year, just before a balloon payment became due. Staff was left
behind to manage the resort, and no notice was apparently given to Franco
or Mariucca, who were in Italy at the time. Finally, Scotia Bank
figured out that something was up when mucho checks started bouncing.
Legal disputes apparently abound, and the restaurant at Luba Hati, nay,
verily, the whole resort, is now closed. However, the beach cabanas
are being rented on a monthly basis, but without services.
- Jake's Purple Space
Monkey. Serious negotiations are taking place for the sale of
this Placencia Village restaurant. Owner, Jake Roberts, plan to
relocate to Grenada, Nicaragua where he will purchase property and
possibly open a bed and breakfast.
- Trattoria Placencia
in Placencia Village has re-opened for the season. Trattoria
Placencia features fresh home-made pastas and other Italian dishes.
- Maya Beach Hotel
has re-opened and expanded. New owners, Ellen Larson and John Lee,
are putting serious efforts into their new restaurant,
Maya Beach Bistro, which offers a number of
dishes, the likes of which have heretofore been unknown in the Placencia
area, dishes such as grilled chicken on a bed of couscous, pine nuts and
roasted red peppers.
- Tutti Frutti Ice Cream
Parlor, makers of ice cream extraordinare (and we mean that), has
re-opened for the season in Placencia Village near the docks.
- DeTatch Restaurant,
located at Sea Spray Hotel in Placencia Village, has expanded its
beachfront premises, featuring a brand new thatch and more seating.
- The Crow's Nest, a
new restaurant and bar near The Moorings compound in the Bakader area of
Placencia Village, is scheduled to open -- directly. The restaurant
will be owned and operated by Alvin and Maria Cabral, owners of Southwater
Resort.
- Lee Nyhus, owner of The
Secret Garden Guesthouse, is putting finishing touches on a new
coffee house that will be located behind Wallen's Market in Placencia
Village.
- Carissa Lizaragga is the new manager of
Casa del Sol Villas at the
northern end of Placencia Village. Carissa is the wife of Ian
Lizarraga, manager of Turtle Inn.
Carissa took over management of the Villas from Brian Yearwood.
- Nautical Inn is under the new management of
Molly Leggio and Bill Kent
Development
- Plantation Development
submitted its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for Phase II to the
Department of the Environment last month. The EIA was found
deficient in several areas and returned to Plantation for more work.
- Marbington Subdivision,
a residential subdivision just south of Robert's Grove and Playa di
Piratas on the Lagoon side of the Placencia has started dredging and
cutting of mangroves.
- Eric Winchester is
developing 12 condominiums across the Lagoon from Soulshine Resort at the
southern end of Placencia Village.
Sunset
Pointe (have to have that "e" in there, don't we) is the name.
- Work on the Casa de la
Siesta condominium development continues, and the
dock has been completed.
- Probably lots more that nobody has told us about
yet.
Banks
- Atlantic Bank has a
huge new building on Placencia Road near the Wallen family property.
Not nearly as convenient as the dock for people in Placencia Village, but
it does have its own parking lot.
- Central Bank
published a legal notice in last week's Guardian notifying one and all
that non-residents will no longer be able to have bank accounts in Belize.
Typically, no one at Central Bank notified any of the commercial banks in
Belize, and no one has any information on whether this new policy will
affect existing account owners, people with legal work permits who have
not yet received residency, or non-resident property owners with rental
property in Belize. More information if and when any is forthcoming.
People
- Maija Priebe,
daughter of Kitty Fox (owner of Kitty's Place Beach Resort), married
Gilroy Haulze in a ceremony on 12 October 2004 at Kitty's Place.
- George Cabral,
father of the 14 children of the Cabral clan (which includes fly fishing
guides Daniel Cabral,
Julian Cabral,
Wyatt Cabral and Egbert Cabral), is seriously
ill and requires weekly dialysis in Belize City. Anyone interested
in assisting the family with mounting medical expenses should contact
Graham Cabral, manager of Wallen's Hardware, at 011-501-523-3316.
- Ellsworth Eiley has
petitioned for divorce from Margaret Eiley.
- Martha Tucker Eiley,
wife of Placencia Village Council Chairman,
Glen Eiley, is the new manager of the Tropic Air station in
Placencia. Martha took over the manager's job from
Brian Yearwood.
- Carey Larson has
opened Jungle Walk, a new tour business
specializing in jungle and Mayan ruins tours.
Community Organizations
- The Placencia Peninsula
Art Association held its First Annual Outstanding Achievement
Awards Dinner and Dance last Saturday, 13 October 2004. Awards were
presented to:
- Mrs. Athelo Smith Cabral
(Aunt Thelo) for her long and distinguished career of serving
Placencia as a midwife and teacher. Aunt Thelo opened the first
school in Placencia in her home and delivered most of Placencia's babies
from 1939 to the 1990s.
- Graham Austin Cabral
for his service to the Placencia community including his service
on the Placencia Village Council (3 terms,
currently Chairman of the Community Affairs Committee) and his
leadership in developing the Village's basketball court and sports
field.
- Marilyn Young Beckstead,
founder of The Iris
Foundation for Education, which built and manages the
Placencia Children's Library located next
to St. John's School in Placencia Village.
- Therese Sierra,
founder of the Placencia women's group, "Women
Making a Difference," which raises money to assist Placencia
families who need a helping hand.
- Wade Bevier, son
of Corol and George Bevier, founders of
Rum Point Inn, for his environmental work,
including the creation of Laughing Bird National
Park, the Belize Eco-Tourism Association
(BETA), the local Placencia chapter of the
Belize Audubon Society and the Bevier
Scholarship Foundation.
- Candy Power and
Deb Vernon, founding members of the
Placencia Chapter of the Belize Humane Society.
- The Placencia Humane
Society
- The 2004 Children's
Halloween Parade and Costume Contest was held at the Placencia
Village ball field after a parade beginning at the Placencia Village
Community Center. The Placencia Humane Society sponsors the
Halloween Party to thank the Placencia community for its support of
Humane Society programs. Pictures
of this year's Halloween Party. Woman
Making a Difference sponsored a Halloween Dance in conjunction
with the children's parade and costume contest.
- A temporary dog shelter has been established
in Placencia Village through the collaboration of the Humane Society and
Shannon Romero, niece of
Janice Romero Leslie, owner of
Tradewinds Hotel at Placencia Point in
Placencia Village. Shannon has also opened a commercial dog kennel
for temporary boarding of dogs, aptly named The
Doggone Animal Shelter.
19 August 2004
Seine Bight.
Dave Ramirez of Seine Bight Village died
Tuesday evening, 17 August 2004. Cause of death is said to have been a
stroke. Mr. Ramirez was a past vice presiddnt of the Placencia Chapter
of the Belize Tourism Industry Association and owned and operated Wamasa
Beyabu Watering Hole in Seien Bight. Dave will be missed for his great
energy and willingness to speak out for positive change in his community.
Placencia Road Goes Nowhere.
Financial Secretary Hugh McSweeney stated in an interview
reported on page 10 of the Wednesday, 18 August 2004 Amandala that the
Placencia Road upgrade has been . . . "deferred."
The reason for the deferral stems from Belize's current fiscal crisis,
believed by many to have been brought about by rampant corruption and gross
financial mismanagement at high levels of the national Belize government.
No one on the Peninsula was much surprised by McSweeney's announcement,
since mostly no one believed that a paved road would be built anyway,
despite assertions to the contrary by highly placed government officials.
29 July 2004
 Pier-less
Placencia. (Or should that be, Placencia without Pier?) Public
controversy erupted at last night's Placencia Village Council meeting over
the Casa de la Siesta condominium development just north of Casa del Sol
Villa on the northern edge of the Placencia Village proper.
Central figures in last night's "spirited" meeting
were Glen Eiley, Placencia Village Council Chairman, and Rodwell Ferguson,
Stann Creek West Area Representative. Mr. Ferguson, a member of the
People's United Party (PUP), and Mr. Eiley, a member of the United
Democratic Party (UDP), were opponents for the Area's Representative's seat
in this year's national elections.
Both Eiley and Ferguson denied public claims by Ms.
Diane Bulman, developer of the Casa de la Siesta condominiums, that both
Eiley and Ferguson had full knowledge of condominium development plans and
approved them prior to commencement of condominium construction.
The aspect of the development that triggered last
night's public controversy is Bulman's construction of a pier on the
Caribbean shore in front of the condominium development.
Placencia Village residents are firmly opposed to
any private docks on the Caribbean shore within Village municipal limits, as
evidenced by a flat prohibition against any such piers in Bylaws passed by
the Village Council and approved by Village residents in a public meeting on
18 November 2002. However, those Bylaws (or ordinances) do not yet have the
effect of law because they require passage by the Belize National Assembly,
which has so far refused to consider the Bylaws.
(See related story below.)
Ms. Bulman claims that Mr. Eiley, if not the
Village Council, had full knowledge of condominium development plans,
including the pier, in February 2004 when she presented the condominium
development plans to the Village Council. The Placencia Village
Council denies any such presentation or knowledge, as does Mr. Eiley.
None of the promotional materials for Casa de la
Siesta depict a pier. Further, the promotional materials specifically
reference "access to main lagoon at rear of condos for boat lovers,"
possibly implying the presence of a dock in the Placencia Lagoon.
When specifically questioned about the sequence of
events involving prior knowledge of the dock by the Placencia Village
Council as a governing body, or Mr. Eiley, as its Chairman, Ms. Bulman
alternated between statements that (1) the Council had seen plans of the
development showing a dock in February 2004 and, (2) Mr. Eiley had to have
known of the plans for a dock because of his friendship and co-ownership of
a boat with Mr. Brian Yearwood, the real estate agent who sold to Bulman the
property on which the condominiums are being developed. (According to
Martha Tucker Eiley, Yearwood purchased a boat outright from Eiley and that
no partnership exists.)
According to Ms. Bulman and Aron Loewen, the
development contractor, all permits for the development were issued by the
national Belize government in February 2004 except the dock permit, which is
dated 18 June 2004.
Mrs. Malikah Cardona, Principal Planner for the
Office of the Commissioner, Lands and Survey Department, granted the dock
permit. Mrs. Cardona claims that several letters sent to the Village
Council concerning the dock were never answered. The Village Council
denies receiving any correspondence about the dock except for one letter
received at the Village Council office on 8 June 2004. Mr. Eiley
claims that he responded to this letter with a phone call to Mrs. Cardona
informing her that the Village was opposed to the issuance of the permit.
Mr. Eiley claims that the Council heard no more about the permit process
until construction of the dock commenced, and Bulman produced the permit.
When questioned about Ms. Bulman's statement on
LoveFM that Rodwell Ferguson supported the condominium development,
including the dock, Mr. Ferguson again reiterated that he knew nothing of
the development until LobsterFest (26-28 June 2004), and nothing of the dock
controversy until receiving a letter dated 1 July 2004 from the Placencia
Village Council protesting issuance of the permit.
Mr. Ferguson explained that after receiving the
letter he had visited Placencia specifically to see the development, which
was then about half completed. At that point he stated that he
realized that no good purpose would be served by opposing the development
and asking for it to be halted, so he formally gave his approval to it.
Feguson also stated that he has now requested that
no development concessions be granted in the Stann Creek West District
without his prior knowledge.
The conditions of the permit issued for the dock at
Casa de la Siesta include:
- No gates or barrier structure shall be placed on
the pier.
- Proper signage and lighting is to be provided to
prevent navigational hazards.
- The public shall have access to the pier at all
reasonable times.
- No dredging is allowed for construction of the
pier.
- Activities which pollute or contaminate the
water are not permitted.
- Any damages caused to the Environment by this
activity shall be considered a contravention of the Environmental
Protection Act and this Licence, and must be repaired at the expense of
the licensee.
- The annual rental fee shall be $800.00 payable
at the Lands and Survey Department, Dangriga Town, Stann Creek District.
- Non-compliance with any of the above conditions
shall be grounds for revocation of this permit.
Opposition to piers on the Caribbean by Village
residents stems from concerns about the effect of piers on marine
vegetation, shoreline erosion, contamination of water resources and marine
life by dock construction materials, effect of construction on marine life,
public rights to the use of the beach, shoreline and Caribbean Sea and
community aesthetics.
 According
to the letter to Ms. Cardona from the Placencia Village Council dated 1 July
2004, asking for revocation of the dock permit, the Placencia community also
"objects to the uncontrolled and unplanned issuance of dock permits by the
national government . . without consultation with the Placencia community.
The letter includes the computer simulation at left illustrating what the
Placencia coastline might look like if dock permits continue to be issued.
The Casa de la Siesta development has also
generated complaints from local residents regarding noise, air and land
pollution, harassment of tourists on the beach by construction workers and
uncontrolled litter and garbage stemming from construction activities.
Both Ms. Bulman and Mr. Loewen vigorously deny the legitimacy of these
complaints.
In related dock issues, Mr. Ferguson stated that
the dock permit obtained by his wife for the construction of a pier in the
Bakader area of Placencia was issued before he ran for office and he had no
role in the approval of the permit.
Placencia residents object to the new Bakader dock
for the same reasons as given for the Casa de la Siesta dock, and that the
new dock will be less than 40 feet away from another dock, in violation of
Belize law. Mr. Ferguson stated at last night's meeting that Mrs.
Ferguson obtained the permit legally prior to the construction of the
existing dock which was built without proper authorization. Therefore,
the Lands and Survey Department told Mrs. Ferguson that she could construct
her legal dock notwithstanding the existence of the illegal dock. No
mention was made of any action being taken against the owner of the illegal
dock.
Placencia Village Bylaws.
As mentioned above, Placencia Village wrote and approved a set of Bylaws in
November 2002. Bylaws, or ordinances, for the governance of Belize
villages were authorized by the Village Councils Act, Cap 88 in 2001.
As drafted, Placencia's bylaws address issues such as burning of garbage,
building permits, animal control, docks and coastal management, business
licensing, public health and safety requirements such as mandatory indoor
plumbing in all residences and businesses, and rights of way.
As of 29 July 2004, no action in connection with
Placencia's proposed Bylaws has been taken by the national government.
The Bylaws have not been approved, disapproved, approved or disapproved in
part. According to the Placencia Village Council, the Village has
received absolutely no contact at all concerning the Bylaws.
According to the Council, the Bylaws are
desperately needed so that the Village has some say in the way development
occurs, and would prevent situations such as the Casa de la Siesta dock
approval without the knowledge of the Village.
Also according to Glen Eiley, Council Chairman, and
Harald Wallen, Council Vice Chairman, all attempts to meet with Solicitor
General Elson Kaseke have been rebuffed. Mr. Eiley stated that the
last meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. on Monday, 28 June 2004 was abruptly
cancelled by Mr. Kaseke after the arrival of Eiley and Wallen in Belmopan
when Rodwell Ferguson was unable to attend due to an emergency.
According to Eiley, Kaseke cancelled the appointment because the important
party, Ferguson, could not attend. Eiley also stated that Kaseke
claimed that he did not know that Eiley and Wallen had to travel to Belmopan
to meet with him, despite the fact that he knew Placencia is, and never has
been, near Belmopan.
At last night's Placencia Village Council meeting,
Rodwell Ferguson brought up, and categorically denied, rumors that he has
been instrumental in preventing passage of the Bylaws. Ferguson stated
that instead, he has been actively working to obtain the Bylaws' passage,
citing the cancelled meeting with Solicitor General Kaseke as an example of
his efforts.
However, earlier in the day at the Seine Bight
Village Council meeting, Ferguson stated that Placencia's Bylaws in their
current form would not be passed because they tried to usurp the power of
the national government. He did go on to elaborate that some give and
take between Placencia and the national government was needed to put the
Bylaws in an acceptable form.
Eiley independently brought up this issue at last
night's Placencia Village Council meeting, stating that Placencia had never
expected that its Bylaws would be passed without any changes, but that it
had expected some process with the national government at which a give and
take could occur.
Ferguson requested that the Placencia Village
Council formally request the urgent attention to the matter of the Bylaws in
a letter to the Attorney General and the Prime Minister. Ferguson then
promised to follow-up on the formal request on behalf of the Council.
Ferguson also requested that no public protest by
Placencia Village residents occur until the formal request by the Council
was made. Ferguson's request was a response to a call from a Village
resident for a public protest in Belmopan by Placencia residents.
The Council agreed to Ferguson's request before
considering other ways to bring national attention to the Bylaws, such as a
public protest.
BTL Park. BTL
has commenced construction of a park in Placencia Village on property owned
by BTL adjacent to Pickled Parrot and the Community Health Center. BTL
will have full responsibility for maintaining the park, but can put the land
to other uses as its sole discretion after 3-months prior notice to the
Placencia Village Council.
LobsterFest.
Placencia Village netted BZ$18,523.32 from LobsterFest 2004.
Seine Bight Village Council.
The Seine Bight Village Council held a special meeting yesterday, 28 July
2004, with area businesses to discuss the Council's 3-year plan for Seine
Bight.,
According to Village Council Chairman Raymond
Ogalez, the Seine Bight Council will focus on the following issues in the
next 3 years:
- Cleanliness of Village.
Seine Bight currently owes BZ$21,000 to the contractor for
garbage collection for Placencia and Seine Bight Villages. The
contractor has refused to pick up any garbage in Seine Bight until payment
in full of this amount. The Council is trying to negotiate a
solution with the contractor since the Village only has financial resource
of less than BZ$400. Area Representative Rodwell Ferguson offered to
help the Council arrange for the use of dump trucks from the Public Works
Department until a solution could be reached.
- Sewage. A
grant request for approximately US$130,000 has been submitted to the
Social Investment Fund (SIF) for the construction of septic tanks for
village residents without plumbing.
- Promotion of Garifuna
Culture. The Council hopes to bring economic development to
Seine Bight Village as well as promote the Garifuna culture by assisting
individuals in starting gift shops and other establishments that will
attract tourist dollars. The Council's first project is sponsorship of the
Seine Bight Days Culture Fest which will include booths for art and
crafts, dance exhibitions and other cultural events. This year's
Fest will be held on 14 and 15 August 2004. Seine Bight Days are
traditionally held in August every year, and the Council hopes to build
upon this event, both to promote Garifuna culture and as a Council
fundraiser.
- Employment Training for
Seine Bight Residents. Seine Bight Village Council is working
with the Placencia chapter of the Belize Tourism Industry Association and
the Belize Tourism Board to offer low or no-cost basic employment training
for Seine Bight residents to make them more employable by area businesses.
Placencia Airstrip.
According to Rodwell Ferguson, the national government is considering a
number of proposals to move the Placencia airstrip to a more suitable
location. (The airstrip is currently located about 1.5 miles north of
Placencia Village in the middle of the Placencia Road.) One proposal
involves moving the airstrip to property owned by a private individual.
No information was given about who or where.
New Developments.
According to Bill Nidiver from the Plantation Development, no new commercial
or multi-lot residential developments on the Peninsula are being approved by
the national government without a incorporation of a package sewer plant,
e.g., no more septic tanks.
25 June 2004
LobsterFest 2004.
 Placencia's
LobsterFest 2004 literally started off with a bang.
Around 6
p.m. on Thursday, 24 June, a storm with gusting winds blew the main tent
set up by Bowen and Bowen earlier that day into Mr. Bunny's house -- and
the electric pole next to it. The force of the tent hitting the
pole broke it, and caused a power outage along the length of the
Peninsula.
BEL
responded quickly and restored power to most areas of the Peninsula by
around 1:30 a.m. -- everywhere but the Placencia docks, that is.
Around 8
a.m. on Friday, 25 June, BEL emergency crews arrived to replace the
broken pole and to restore power to the dock so that the Fisherman's
Co-op would have power to produce ice for LobsterFest.
Around 11:30
a.m., the BEL emergency crew began digging the hole for the new pole --
and struck the water main for the entire dock area, thus cutting off the
source of water for the Co-op's ice house.
However, the
main Beliken tent was completely destroyed, and no replacements
available in the entire country. (Bad time of the year with lots
of graduations and special events.)
Power (and
water) were completely restored by around 6 p.m., a number of small
tents to replace the large tent were secured, and by 9 p.m., the band
played on.
As for the
ice? Well, only tomorrow will tell.
LobsterFest 2004
Pictures.
The Road. A community meeting was held by
Public Works Minister Jose Coye at Jake's Purple Space Monkey Internet Cafe
on Tuesday, 22 June 2004. According to Minister Coye, paving of the
Placencia Road has been budgeted for the 2005 fiscal year. Minister
Coye suggested that tolls would be used to finance road maintenance.
29 May 2004
Placencia Village Council:
Village Council Officers are:
- Glen Eiley, Chair
- Harald Wallen, Vice Chair
- Cindy Linarez, Secretary
- Karen Young, Treasurer
- Graham Cabral, Assistant Secretary
- Arthur Vernon, Assistant Treasurer
- Sonny Vernon, Councillor
In an effort to improve its efficiency and
responsiveness, the Village Council has also organized itself into
committees, with a Council member as the Chair, and 3
appointed residents on each committee. Placencia Village
residents should contact the appropriate committee with any issues or
concerns. The committee will then be responsible for for reporting to
the Village Council and recommending solutions and resolutions for Village
problems. Committees are:
- Public Works:
responsible for roads, building inspection, docks and piers, utilities and
other public works matters. Chair of the Committee is Harald Wallen.
Committee members are Dalton Eiley, Edwin Leslie and Alvin Cabral.
- The first project of the Public Works
Committee is rebuilding the community dock. Materials have been
purchased and volunteers will begin working on the dock on Thursday, 27
May 2004.
(Pictures of Dock Rebuilding)
- Public Works is also negotiating with a
private contractor to provide quarterly septic tank pump-out services
for Village residents at a reduced rate. Residents may sign up for
pump-out service at the Village Council office.
- Other Public Works projects include
refurbishing the football field by adding topsoil and grading it, plus
installing new goals and bleachers. The Committee will also be
investigating the cause of the low water pressure in the northern part
of the Village.
- The most important long range project of the
Public Works Committee is a sewage system for the entire Peninsula.
- Security:
responsible for interfacing with the police, special constables, Belize
Emergency Response Team, Placencia Emergency Response team and Placencia
Taxi Association, regulation of traffic (including traffic signs)
and coordination of crime prevention programs such as Neighborhood Watch.
Chair is Sonny Vernon and Committee members are Jenny Wesby, George Westby
and Salva Zabaneh.
- The Placencia Taxi Association is in the
process of adopting Bylaws to organize the Taxi Association. In
coordination with the Village Council, the Association will sponsor a
workshop by Francis Castillo who issues taxi licenses from the Dangriga
Motor Vehicle Office.
- The Security Committee will select two traffic
wardens who will have the authority to issue tickets for traffic
offenders.
- The Security Committee, in coordination with
the Community Affairs Commitee and the Tourism Committee, is also in
charge of establishing a market place for vendors at the Placencia
Village docks.
- Community Affairs:
responsible for coordination of community events and community charitable
organizations, public relations, community relations and community
outreach. Chair is Graham Cabral and Committee members are Maria
Cabral, Charles Leslie, Jr. and Marilyn Beckstead.
- A complaint form has been developed by the
Committee and is available at the Village Council office at the docks.
- The Community Affairs Committee has
recommended that the Village Council post a Website that includes
notices of meetings, minutes of meetings, committee reports, financial
reports and other Village information. The Community Affairs
Committee would be responsible for creating and maintaining the Website.
- Finance:
responsible for financial reports and monitoring Village funds.
Chair is Karen Young and Committee members are Barbara Andrews, Janet
Parks and Yvette Guild.
- Sports and Education:
responsible for sports and educational programs for youth and
adults plus job training programs for teenagers. Chair is Arthur
Vernon, Junior. Committee members are Tanya Neal, Wendy Westby and
Verly James.
- Tourism:
responsible for promoting and monitoring local tourism and coordination
with tourism organizations such as the Placencia Chapter of the Belize
Tourism Industry Association. Chairperson is Cindy Linarez and
Committee members are David Vernon, Ellie Dial and Reina Eiley.
- Inter-governmental
Affairs: responsible for coordination of campaign to pass Village
Bylaws, develop administrative procedures for administration of Bylaws,
inform residents, organizations, businesses and national
governmental agencies about the Bylaws, develop procedures for working
with other governmental agencies, and establish legal boundaries of
Placencia Village. Chair is Glen Eiley. Committee members are
Kammie Westby, Percy Neal and Mary Toy.
- The two main goals of the Inter-Governmental
Affairs Committee are the passage and implementation of the Village By
laws. Sample letters urging passage to be sent to the Belize
Solicitor General, Area Representative, Local Government Ministry and
others have been completed and are awaiting Village Council approval.
Letters to real estate agents, developers and contractors informing them
about the Village Bylaws are also waiting for Village Council approval.
- Other goals include establishing legal
boundaries for the Village and implementing procedures for Village
Council review and comment on all Environmental Impact Assessments and
other documents submitted to national government agencies for projects
affecting the Village.
LobsterFest:
LobsterFest 2004 festivities will include:
- Two days and three nights of entertainment at
the Placencia Village docks.
- Friday, 25 June 2004
- 8 p.m: Inner Vibrations and the
Tropical Sensations, sponsored by MNM Hardware
- Saturday, 26 June 2004
- All Day: All Star Steel Drum Band,
sponsored by local Placencia businesses
- 8 p.m: New Creations and Inner
Vibrations, sponsored by Turtle Inn and Yearwood Properties
- Sunday, 27 June 2004
- All Day: The Rejects
- 8 p.m: Inner Vibrations
- Fishing Tournament: Registration is Friday
night at at 7 p.m. at the Placencia Village docks. Boats may leave
as early as desired on Saturday morning. Prizes valued at BZ$6,000 in
have been
donated for the tournament.
- Fifty prizes have been donated for the
LobsterFest Raffle, including a round-trip Continental Air ticket, a
two-night bareboat charter from TMM, 2 nights at Chaa Creek and a day sail
from the Moorings.
- The Placencia Arts Association will have its own
tent at LobsterFest and will display and sell works of Belizean artists.
Children's art activities will include face painting and finger painting.
Placencia Water Board and
Lands Committee: Area Representative Rodwell Ferguson wants to
appoint two new members to each of the Placencia Water Board and the Lands
Committee. Reports are that the Board members who will be replaced on
the Water Board are Louise Yearwood and Lydia Villanueva. Some local
residents believe that the appointment of new members is politically
motivated. Other local residents have complained about a proposal by
national government to give a developer land in exchange for developing a
new subdivision for area Belize citizens who do not own their own land.
Several local residents believe that any land not used for the subdivision
can be sold at a favorable price and the part of the proceeds used to pay
for the development, with the remainder going to other Village projects.
The national government has failed to provide any information on the status
of the development project.
Police Station.
Work on the new police station for the Peninsula seems to be at a
standstill. The national government says it cannot provide information
on when work can be expected to resume, or when the station will be
completed. (Fancy that.)
29 April 2004
Whale Sharks, Bull Sharks and
Bioprospecting
- Whale Sharks:
Whale Shark Tourism Interaction Regulations adopted by Hopkins,
Riversdale, Seine Bight, Placencia and Monkey River tour operators and
tour guides require all boats to be OUT of the whale shark
interaction zone by 5:30 pm. According to information from dive
masters and tour operators at a meeting at the Placencia Village Community
Center, last night, 28 April 2004, several area dive operations are openly
ignoring this regulation and bringing divers into the zone so late in the
afternoon that it would be impossible to comply with the regulation and
still allow divers to do any diving.
The reason the regulation was enacted was to prevent interference with
spawning Cubera snappers as much as possible. The existence of the
whale sharks in that area depends on the snappers, so it's not good to
disturb them when they're trying to reproduce. Also, the spawning attracts
sharks OTHER than whale sharks, such as Bull Sharks, Lemon Sharks, Tiger
Sharks, Caribbean Reef Sharks, Nurse Sharks, etc., etc., etc. With the
whale sharks and other sharks trying to feed and the snapper trying to
spawn, there's too much going on out there for diving at that time to be
completely safe. Plus, diving at that time could interfere with the
Cubera Snapper spawning, resulting in NO whale sharks.
Park rangers are at Gladden Spit. However, they are simply not
equipped to deal with dive operators who won't voluntarily comply with
what the park rangers are trying to get them to do.
So, please, be a responsible diver. DON'T go with a shop that takes you
out to dive late in the day. And, if you inadvertently do, or see a
dive operator who does, PLEASE report them IN WRITING to the Placencia
Tourist Center.
Additional Belize whale shark interaction regulations and information.
A number of tour guides and tour operators at the
meeting also stated that they believed that the number of divers allowed
into the whale shark interaction area needed to be further limited, and
this issue will be addressed after the end of the whale shark interaction
period in June of this year.
- Bull Sharks:
Rachel Graham, who has done much of the scientific research on whale
sharks in this area has submitted a proposal to study bull sharks at
Gladden Spit. According to information provided by Rachel at last
evening's meeting, almost as little is known about bull sharks as was
known about whale sharks just 5 or 6 years ago. The research will
aim to determine the bull shark's migratory patterns, how it uses the
Gladden Spit area, with what frequency and purpose and other information
about its habits. Bull sharks will be tagged with satellite and
audio tags after being caught on baited long lines. All sharks are
released after tagging, and tagging will take place during whale shark
season only from 5:30 p.m. to 10 a.m. to avoid conflicts with divers
and snorkelers within the whale shark interaction zone.
- Bioprospecting:
a public consultation about bioprospecting in Belize was held at
Serenity Resort with are business owners, fishermen and other interested
parties.
Information on bioprospecting and proposed legislation was presented by
international consultants Marthinus Horak and Francois Joubert of CSIR
Bio/Chemtek, Pretoria, South Africa, and national consultants,
Godsman Ellis and Cecil Ramirez.
Recommended is an independent Belize bioprospecting entity that would make
decisions on the granting of bioprospecting permits to private entities
and enter into, administer, monitor and enforce bioprospecting
agreements that set out the conditions of bioprospecting permits.
Other recommendations include significant involvement of local impacted
communities through Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) hat would allow
local communities to negotiate financial remuneration for bioprospecting
impacts and an independent trust fund that would administer funds
available after payment of administrative expenses and payments under MOUs.
Potential financial benefits to local communities could be quite large if
bioprospecting results in the discovery of a new pharmaceutical.
Local individuals attending the consultation strongly recommended as much
independence as possible for the administering bioprospecting entity,
penalties for non-compliance with the bioprospecting law and
bioprospecting agreements that are significantly large enough to actually
deter misconduct, and a stream-lined process for trust fund grants.
We understand that the impetus for the Belize government to push
bioprospecting legislation is the existence of several requests for
permits to bioprospect in Belize, both in terrestrial and marine
environments.
31 March 2004
Looks like Belize be done
bruk down:
New fees and taxes recently announced:
- February (?) 2004: Property taxes
increased (but no one understands the new system yet - at least not anyone
we've spoken to))
- 1 March 2004: Sales tax increased from 8% to
9%
- 1 April 2004:
- Departure "fee" increased from US$20 to US$35
per person from the International Airport
- Archaeological Sites Entrance Fees Increase
- US$5 for Lamanai, Altun Ha, Xunantunich,
Cahal Pech, El Pilar and Nim Li Punit
- US$7.50 for Caracol
- 1 November 2004: New marine park "fee" to be
assessed (US$10-US$15 per person per day
- 1 April 2005: Hotel tax to increase from
7% to 9%
Comments regarding the increase in the increase in
the airport departure fee can be emailed to
gm@btia.org. Comments needed by Friday, 2 April
2004.
28 March 2004
Placencia Village Council
Elections.
 Glenford
(Glen) Eiley was re-elected to his third term as Placencia Village Council
Chair. Glen defeated Fred Cabral by 57 votes (Glen - 192, Fred -
135). (Pictures)
Glen won his re-election bid in Placencia Village's
largest ever election turnout - 335 voters as the unofficial count.
Also re-elected to the Village Council were Karen
Young, Graham Cabral and Harald Wallen.
Cindy (Tweety) Lopez, Arthur Vernon, Jr. and Levi
(Sonny) Vernon are Placencia's newly elected first-term Council members.
Election results were as follows:
Placencia Village Council
Chair:
Placencia Village Council
(top 6 elected to the Council)
- Harald Wallen:
- Karen Young:
- Arthur Vernon, Jr:
- Graham Cabral
- Levi (Sonny) Vernon
- Cindy Lopez
- Charles Beresford Leslie, Jr:
- Verlee James:
- Tanya Neal:
- Tara (Kammie) Westby:
- Wendy Westby:
- Lydia Villanueva
- James Leslie
|
272 votes
213 votes
193 votes
156 votes
153 votes
149 votes
133 votes
129 votes
96 votes
92 votes
89 votes
78 votes
33 votes |
16 March 2004
Local Government.
Placencia Village Bylaws.
Placencia residents were stunned by the
public admission of the Department of Local Government that the Placencia
Village Bylaws were still on the desk of Mr. Palacio of that office.
Placencia's Bylaws were passed and submitted to the national government for
review and approval in November 2002. Among other things, the Bylaws
would give Placencia Village the authority to collect liquor licensing fees,
impose business and other revenue-generating licensing fees and fines,
regulate local building and require marinas to install pump-out stations.
Mr. Palacio could not say when the Placencia Bylaws review would be
completed, when the Bylaws might become effective, or where the Bylaws were
in the review process.
Municipal Elections. Village
council elections for Placencia and Seine Bight Villages are scheduled for
28 March 2004. Fred Cabral and Percy Neal are running for Placencia
Village Council Chair. Village residents activity interested in
Village Council positions include Harald Wallen, Graham Cabral, Tracy Eiley,
Levi (Sonny) Vernon and Betty Neal.
Peninsula Development. A
number of local residents have seen a Plantation proposal that includes a
cut of the Peninsula at Barry Bowen's pump station, a bridge over the cut, a
marina, a causeway across the Placencia Lagoon to a golf course on the
western side of the Lagoon, and a new road connecting with the Southern
Highway. The Belize Department of the Environment says it has not yet
seen this latest Plantation proposal.
Placencia Water Board.
The Placencia Village Water Board issued a formal report on its activities
since it was established in February 1996. Included in the report:
- Customer Base:
250 customers in 1996. Over 500 customers in 2004.
- Account Balance as s of 31
January 2004: $56,523.63
- The Water Board's
accomplishments in 8 years include:
- St. John's Memorial
School
- Purchased land for a playground
- Built and furnished four (4) restrooms
- Purchased of two (2) satellite houses for
additional classrooms
- Paid salary for one year for a teaching
assistant and a pre-school head teacher
- Continuing donation of free water
- Garbage Disposal
- Created current garbage pickup and disposal
system
- Purchased two (2) ATV bikes for garbage
project
- Established billing and collection system
for garbage disposal fees
- Purchased garbage cans for Village residents
to initiate garbage collection system
- Continuing subsidy of garbage collection
system of approximately $1,743.00 per month to cover monthly deficits
(garbage fees billed average $9,922/month, average expenses are
$11,665 per month)
- Community Center
- Renovated restroom
- Rewired Center
- Repainted Center interior
- Renovated room for pre-school
- Continuing donation of free water
- Police
- Purchased a house for a police officer and
his family
- Continuing payment of monthly electric bill
for police station
- Continuing donation of free water
- Sports Center
- Built two (2) restrooms
- Lighting of football field
- Installed flood lights on basketball court
- Water System
- Purchased and installed computer system
- Purchasd ATV
- Purchased 2 additional pumps
- Purchased emergency generator for Placencia
water system
- Installed connection between Placencia and
Independence water systems for emergency use. (Both Villages can
now supply each other with water if necessary.)
- Purchased and installed new pipeline across
Placencia Lagoon after Hurricane Iris
- Purchased new chlorinator for water system
- Fenced pump house in Independence
- Built a generator house for new emergency
generator
- Established bylaws for the governing of the
Water Board (not yet approved by the national government)
- Upcoming Projects
- Fencing of cemetary
- Installation of permanent garbage cans along
Placencia Sidewalk
- Fencing of pump house in Placencia
- Miscellaneous
- Purchased and installed computer for Village
Council office
- Continuing subsidy of Village Council Office
- Continuing 50% discount to senior citizens
(age 65 and up) for water and garbage fees
- Continuing maintenance of Village cemetary
(including fencing as an upcoming project)
- Continuing payment of housing for community
doctor
- Continuing donation of $200 to bereaved
Village families on behalf of Village Council
16 February 2004:
 First
Annual Placencia Sidewalk Art Festival.
Kudos to the Placencia Peninsula Art Association which organized a
wonderful Sidewalk Art Festival this past weekend! (Anyone who thinks
Belize doesn't have a vibrant arts community should have been there. )
Approximately 50 artists displayed art ranging from
oils and acrylics on canvas, to beautiful ceramics and porcelain,
photography and textiles. (I'm now the proud owner of the painting
shown at left, Pickney Shush, by Deborah Usher from the Dangriga
area.) The weekend was rounded out by a dinner theatre performance at
Turtle Inn by professional magician Kevin Barnes, who also donated a special
children's matinee performance Sunday afternoon at the Placencia Village
Community Center. (Proceeds from the Turtle Inn event were donated to
the Placencia Humane Society.) (Pictures of the
Art Festival and the
Magic Matinee.)
Government Broke?
Sales tax vendors received personal phone calls on the 29th and 30th of
January informing them that sales tax would be raised from 8% to 9%
effective Sunday, 1 February. Tour operators, hotels and resorts that
pre-sell tours and meals are left holding the bag for the additional 1% for
vacations booked in advance. The cost to register a letter doubled
last Friday, 13 February, again without warning - the local post office
received a phone call at about 3:30 p.m. and was orally told to put the
increase into effect immediately. According to the local post office,
parcel post rates were also significantly increased, more than doubled in
some cases.
Road Work.
Notwithstanding the fiscal position of the national government, the
Placencia Road right-of-way is now being surveyed, ostensibly in preparation
for paving. No word on where the money will come from - maybe all
those registered letters and packages?
2 February 2004:
Sales Tax. Sales
tax increased from 8% to 9% on Sunday, 1 February 2004. Little notice
was given -- the Sales Tax office phoned sales tax vendors on Thursday to
notify them of the increase.
Local Elections. Village
Council elections will be held country-wide in March and April. No
official candidates yet in Seine Bight and Placencia Villages.
However, the Village Council Chair position in Placencia may be hotly
contested. Rumored to be candidates are Brian Yearwood, Graham Cabral,
Glen Eiley and David Vernon.
Placencia Road.
Jose Coye (a/k/a Joe Coie), husband of Yvonne Leslie Coye, has become the
new Minister of Works. Yvonne grew up in Placencia (she is the sister
of Norman, Eddie, Babe and Lewis Leslie) and the Coye family visits
Placencia regularly, giving rise to speculation that Minister Coye may be
more sympathetic to the need for paving the Placencia Road. However,
the Belize government's pockets are fairly empty, and sympathy doesn't make
a very good paving material.
.gif) Arts,
Hearts and Magic. Valentine's Day weekend promises to be a fun
one in Placencia featuring Placencia's First Annual Sidewalk Art Festival on
Saturday, 14 February and Sunday, 15 February, sponsored by the new
Placencia Peninsula Art Association.
Participating artists so far include
Lola, Anton Leslie, Peter Poots, Titiman Flores, Earnest Garcia, Dennis
Bryan, Lita Krohn, Mariuccia Levoni, Dede Aronian, Fiona MacFarlane, Richard
Millet, Dr. Craig Patchet, Jessica Usher, Debra Usher, Christian Lebosse,
Elizabeth Locke, Silion Chuc, Mary Berry, and Austin Sanchez.
The weekend will also feature
a Saturday evening dinner
theatre hosted by Blancaneaux
Turtle Inn, featuring professional magician Kevin Barnes, direct from Las
Vegas and Cancun, and a "Just for Fun" Magic Matinee on
Sunday afternoon. (Proceeds to benefit the Placencia Humane Society.)
Seine Bight. Lumalali Seinbeidi is
the new Seine Bight newsletter launched by local Seine Bight residents.
Copies of the newsletter can be purchased from local Placencia and Seine
Bight merchants for 25 cents. The January 2004 edition includes a
Garifuna recipe for Thickiney (Stew Brown Flour) and articles on The
Lancer's Ball, burning trash and the John Canoe (or wanaragua)
cultural tradition. Publishers of the newsletter are working to make
on on-line version available.
Resorts. It's official - the new owners
of Nautical Inn are Molly Leggio, Billy Kent and Maxine Young. Rum
Point Inn is sponsoring a Tuesday evening "lecture" series focusing on
Placencia's natural environment. The program this Tuesday is a
a 1/2 hour National Geographic Explorer film on
the Sharks of the Belize Reef highlighting the
Whale Shark Research at Gladden Spit and the Hol Chan
Reserve. A cocktail hour (with complimentary
appetizers) from 5-7 pm precedes the program. The suggested BZ$10
donation for each lecture benefits the Bevier Scholarship Fund.
27 January 2004:
Whale Shark meeting cancelled!!!!!! According to Friends of Nature,
The Georgia Aquarium has withdrawn its proposal. However, no details
other than these two facts have been provided. It is not known whether
the Belize Fisheries Department is still involved in any manner with this
proposal, nor whether The Georgia Aquarium will go elsewhere for a whale
shark exhibit. Because we have been unable to
obtain any email addresses for The Georgia Aquarium staff, persons
interested in making their views known about exhibition of whale sharks at
The Atlanta Aquarium should contact
Cynthia Tucker, Editorial Page Editor, The Atlanta
Constitution, phone,
404-526-5432, email -
cynthia@ajc.com.
19 January 2004:
Whale Shark meeting postponed!!!!!!! Meeting now scheduled for
Tuesday, 27 January, 7 p.m. at the Placencia Community Center. The
reason given for the postponement is that the "team" from the Atlanta
Aquarium cannot attend tomorrow, 20 January 2004.
If you would like to voice your opinion about this
issue, contact information
is given below, as well as information on
the Georgia Aquarium and whale
sharks in captivity.
Shark
Research Institute Position on Whale Shark Exhibition in Aquariums
Local Placencia
Peninsula Petition
17 January 2004
Whale Sharks:
Friends of Nature (FON), a
conservation Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Placencia has
entertained a proposal (whether formal or informal is not known) from a new
aquarium (The Georgia Aquarium) scheduled for completion in 2005 in
Atlanta, Georgia. The Aquarium is funded primarily by Bernie Marcus,
the co-founder of Home Depot, as a "gift to the people of Georgia."
 (While
couched in terms of "research," the
specifications for The Georgia Aquarium indicate it's a
money-making proposition. Consider these facts about the Aquarium:
- Special events space will accommodate
1,200 for sit-down dinners
- Plaza space will serve 350 to 500 people for event luncheons
- Facility will accommodate more than 12,000 visitors for receptions.)
(See links below for more information about the
Georgia Aquarium.)
A meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, 20 January 2004 at the Placencia Village
Community Center regarding the proposal. In attendance will be Dr.
Bruce Carlson of The Georgia Aquarium. A picture of the notice, posted
on the door to the Placencia Fisherman's Cooperative at the Placencia docks
and in the middle of the Placencia Road by the soccer field is available
here.
Lisa Carne,
B.Sc. Marine Biology,
resident of the Placencia Peninsula, is the author of the article reprinted
below about whale sharks in captivity. Lisa's article was published in Belize by The Amandala, p. 22, Sunday,
January 11, 2004. (
See also links below for more
information about whale sharks in captivity.)
If you would like to weigh in on this issue,
please contact Friends of Nature, the Belize Department of Fisheries,
The Oak Foundation (one of the largest donors to Friends
of Nature as well as the principal donor for the whale shark research
that's been occurring in the area for the past several years),
and others listed below.
Contact information is as follows:
******You might also
want to contact the local Atlanta newspaper, The Atlanta Constitution,
Cynthia Tucker, Editorial Page Editor, phone,
404-526-5432, email -
cynthia@ajc.com
******
Whale
Sharks in Captivity
by Lisa Carne, B.Sc. Marine Biology
Whale sharks in captivity…that sounds like
an oxymoron! What is an oxymoron? When two contradictory terms are combined,
like “jumbo-shrimp”, “fresh-frozen”, or “deafening silence”…A whale shark is
the world’s largest fish, by some accounts growing up to 60 ft (20 m) long
and weighing over 2 tonnes so how could it possibly be contained in a tank
or aquarium?
Leave it to the Japanese to find a way,
albeit through trial and error. From 1980-1998 the Okinawa aquarium has been
through 16 whale sharks, all dead now. They were kept in a tank 88 feet by
39 feet and just 11 feet deep. Whale sharks in the wild can range up to
20,000 km and dive down to depths of 1500 m (5000ft)! So it’s a small wonder
that the fishes’ life span in a tank was as short as three days, to a
maximum of five years. Five years sounds pretty good? Not when you consider
that a whale shark in the wild can live up 100 years and most are not even
sexually mature till after 30 years of age!
What little we know about whale sharks
comes from research in the wild, observers diving with the sharks and
satellite tags telling us their distribution, range, and diving depths.
Whale sharks are found all
over the world in tropical oceans, except the Mediterranean Sea. They
aggregate (come together in groups) in Australia, the Indian Ocean, the
Seychelles, the Gulf of Mexico, Honduras and Belize. They are currently
protected in all of these countries as tourism has blossomed around the
chance of a wild encounter with whale sharks, and a living whale shark is
worth more than the price of its fins.
This protection is recent
though; as late as the year 2000, 1500 whale sharks were slaughtered for
their meat and fins in India. Illegal hunting continues and there are many
other countries where the whale shark is not protected at all: every year
100 sharks are killed in Taiwan, where they are known as the “tofu shark’
because of their soft flesh.
Whale sharks are now listed on
CITES Appendix II, meaning all trade must be reported. And they are listed
on the IUCN Red List as “vulnerable”. This vague distinction means we don’t
really know how many whale sharks are left in the world but we do know they
are being over-harvested, like so many of our marine resources.
Belize and Placencia
specifically, is one of the rare locations in the world where whale sharks
can be reliably and predictably encountered. Every year in the months
April-June and even July, whale sharks congregate at Gladden Spit shortly
after the full moon, to feed on the snapper spawn. Tourists readily pay
upwards of US$150 a day (after their airfare and lodging) for a chance to
see a whale shark in the wild. Local Tour Guides must take a special course
to learn about the sharks and guidelines for interactions with them
(distance away from the sharks, number of people in the water at one time,
etc.) Lauren Hutton, a famous model/actress with a jetsetting adventure
agenda and the fortune to back it, said diving with the whale sharks in
Belize was the single greatest experience of her life. With all these
tourist dollars coming into Belize over the whale sharks, why would anyone
think of putting them in a tank?
Aquariums have been around
since the late1800’s. WAZA, the World Association for Zoos and Aquariums,
represents over 1000 institutions and estimates over 6 million visitors a
year. Japan has at least 10 aquariums: one of them houses two whale sharks
in a 30 foot tall tank along with mantas and tunas. With visitors averaging
8500 a day at about $20 US apiece, that’s $170,000 USD A DAY!
Many of these same Japanese
aquariums house marine mammals such as dolphins and killer whales. Although
most aquariums cite “research benefits’ as justification for housing large
animals, the Japanese cannot be confused with conservationists. They are the
inventors of “drive fisheries”: the practice of herding 100’s of dolphins or
whales into a shallow cove or inlet. The aquarium representatives then pick
a few (maybe six) specimens to keep in a tank, and the rest are slaughtered
for meat.
Sea World now wants to get in
on the Japanese program. Marine mammals are too protected in the US waters:
the Governor and the whole state of Alaska rejected Sea World’s request to
capture their killer whales, so they look to Japan. Japan looked to Norway
in 1999, who denied permits to capture whales based on public outcry and
opposition. Lest you be confused over the “education versus entertainment
value” of marine parks, George Millay, Sea World’s founder, cleared it up in
1989 when he said; ”Sea World was created strictly as entertainment. We
didn’t try to wear this false façade of educational significance.” Sea
World’s entrance fee is $30 US for children and up to $58 US for adults.
Since the early 1980’s
aquariums have become the trend in the US to revitalize cities and
waterfronts. Witness the Monterrey Bay Aquarium in California: even with an
entrance price of ??$ it still attracts over 2 million visitors a year. But
that’s not enough: now they want to be the first to have a great white shark
(life span in captivity: 3 weeks) to draw in more paying customers. The top
six aquariums in the States average at least a million visitors a year, with
each trying to out-compete the other for the largest tanks (4.5 million
gallons), the most animals (124,000), the most rare species (beluga whales,
great whites) and now, the only whale sharks.
Newest on the list is Atlanta,
Georgia with a 200 million USD aquarium scheduled to open in 2005. They will
boast the largest tank (5 million gallons), and two whale sharks, a male and
a female. Who will give up the whale sharks? Not Japan…but Belize? Belize,
Land of the Free by the Caribbean Sea?
The proposal is underway.
Belize has just 106 identified whale sharks, only 5 of which are female.
Removing a female would be reducing the breeding potential by 20%, and
removing any two sharks would be removing two too many. Last season Tour
Guides saw at the most eight sharks, whereas in previous years they saw up
to 22.
In 2002,
University of York researchers estimated that whale shark tourism yielded
US$1.35 million for the five stakeholder communities (Placencia, Seine
Bight, Hopkins, Monkey River) of Gladden Spit. Removing any two whale
sharks would be removing two too many. Last season, tour guides saw at
the most eight sharks, whereas in previous years they saw up to 22.
Don’t let the propaganda fool
you: there has been zero success for captive breeding and reintroduction of
marine animals to the wild. So what will they learn about the whale shark
behind glass? Not its population, nor its distribution, not even its natural
feeding or mating habits. They will learn, as Japan did, that the whale
shark feeding requirements are up to 11% of its body mass!
Remember what the late-great
Jacques Cousteau said, “No aquarium, no tank in a marine park, no matter how
spacious it may be, can begin to duplicate the conditions of the sea”.
If you have an opinion on
this, call the Fisheries Department and voice your concern! 224-4552.
And call Friends of Nature in Placencia, 523-3377, let them know what you
think. Because animal welfare aside, the real question for Belize is whether
or not a tourist will still pay $100’s of US dollars that
benefit a range of Belize-based businesses to brave the rough seas
for a chance encounter with a whale shark in the wild when they could spend
in the tens of dollars to be guaranteed one behind
glass.
If you would like more
information on captive marine mammals, Japanese drive fisheries, whale
sharks, or anything else mentioned in this article, contact me at
lisas@btl.net. |
