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A fishing license is just plain stupid.I know why they want a license so the money can get sucked up to the thieves.In life there is a good saying you can not fix stupid..Stupid is as stupid does..Tourism is going down the crapper ,this is not a good thing for the island now..But greed /money ,does strange things to people..

Oh my god, jeff. How much is a license, $50,000 US or something? Sounds like it must be.

"I know why they want a license so the money can get sucked up to the thieves"

Somehow I don't think that's it, jeff. If you really know the reasons put forth by those who advocate it, the info would be appreciated.

Here is the deal ,yes the money will fall into the wrong hands you can bet on it .And it is not the money issue Ask any one who knows me that is not a issue here .it is the tourism factor ,I am in this business I do not sell belize but know how silly things like that, can cause bad karma ..I think i might be a expert on this type of situation As I know lots how people feel about things like this and it has and will have negitive ,connotions.the hotels are in bad shape on the island and this may , not help them .As there in a soft booking time ???.In turn no tourists ,then local people get laid off ,business is slow and all suffer .. I know what I am talking about trust me...

Look around the island, Fishing tour boats are not going out like they should be this time of year.
IT IS A REALLY SLOW SEASON THIS YEAR!!!, Bad timing? Stupid Idea? I think both.

I have personally spoken to many tour guides about the fishing licence. I have not gotten one positive responce from any of them.

Fishing licencing is not going to do anything for the local economy but muck it all up!!

Face it folks, We are in a "Global" economic recession. Placing additional costs on peoples vacation will not encourge them to go ahead and book already expensive fishing tours.

We own a boat in San Pedro so we are not spending $500 US for a day of "Sport Fishing". It's not about the $20 or whatever for the licence, It's about the principal of the "Fee" and the inconveinance of having to go get a F#c&%ng Licence every day you feel like fishing.

I hope the powers to be take notice - Are you listning Mr Minister??? If you do not have tourism ...... well you can figure out the rest.

Sorry for the rant but I hate stupid too.

Just buy an annual license...$20 X 365 = $7,300

Wait a minute. It's just a daily license? $20 a day, every day? I'm getting that from jesse's post. Is that correct?

Yes bz$20 per day x 365 is 1 year license for a non Belizen , that was what I was told yesterday by the dept of fisheries.
For a Belizen it is a fraction of that. Even as of yesterday the tour guides could not purchase one on the island,you had to go to Belize City.I sent in my letter yesterday to info@sanpedrobusiness.com but not sure what that is or where it will go from there.

Below is the response that I sent to the SPBA on the subject.

To: San Pedro Business Association
RE: Fishing License
DATE: 24 January 2009

My knowledge is very limited on this subject, as I saw the press release and it was not clear as to whether the fee is going to apply to fishermen in general, or if every single tourist who wants to fish while they are vacationing here will have to purchase a license. The latter option seems totally ridiculous.

People come on vacation and they may decide in the evening that they want to go out with a local fisherman the following morning. If that is the case, and each tourist who wants to fish must first have a license, then how logistically will they do this? Will the licenses be available at the Town Council? Will hotels be able to pre-purchase these licenses similar to what we now do with Hol Chan park tickets? Will the fishermen be presumed to have them on board their boats?

How will this be enforced? Do we have a spare boat that is going to patrol the waters both in front and behind the island scouting for illegal fishing? Will the tourists then be asked to present them with evidence that they have purchased a license? Where are the funds going to come from for enforcement of the license?

It seems to me that even if the licenses are to be given out to the local fishermen themselves, there is still no way to enforce the issue, thus making it the same as having speed limits with no traffic police available during the night time hours to enforce them.

If this is merely a revenue collecting effort, then perhaps requiring a fisherman to pay a yearly fee which would grant them a sticker designating them as legally licensed fishermen, with permission to take tourists out fishing with them.

On a tourism note, fees for fishing here in Belize are as much or more than fees anywhere in the Caribbean. To add an additional cost during these tight economic times seems short sighted and misplaced, at best.

Skippy - Quote from San Pedro Daily:
"but it will cost twenty dollars per day to go out at sea and fish."

To see the full story: http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=23020

I do not disagree with an anual 20 or 30 dollar fee for frequent visitors that have their own property/boat (such as myself), I am open to this, but $20 per day????? I also think any of the service providers should be able to take their customers out any time for no additional cost as long as they have their tourism license.

Any other kind of license fee, in my humble opinion, is rediculous.

Well that is just incredibly stupid. And I apologize to those who I mocked, but no one said how much it was until jesse did so.

So right now, I'm seeing this, and no concomitant catch and release effort, and the points above about the impossibility of enforcement (probably coupled with inability to supply the license conveniently), and you have an absurd plan. Is it a plan, or a done deal?

As Gandalf said, this shall not stand! Or was it, you shall not pass? Probably the latter since he was addressing the Balrog at the time.