Belize moves toward electronic monitoring of its high-seas fishing fleet by 2027

Belize’s High Seas Fisheries Unit has selected the Spanish technology company Satlink to provide electronic monitoring equipment for the country’s high-seas fleet.  The programme will use cameras, sensors and tracking devices installed on fishing vessels to record what happens at sea. The equipment will help authorities see where vessels are operating, what species are being caught, how much fish is being taken and whether crews are following fisheries rules.  The Belize High Seas Fisheries Unit says the system is part of a wider plan to have electronic monitoring in place across Belize’s distant-water industrial fishing fleet by 2027. The goal is to give Belize stronger control over vessels flying its flag, even when they are operating in waters far outside the country.  Video footage and other information from the vessels will be sent through Starlink internet service to a secure online platform, where it can be reviewed. Satlink’s analysis team will then examine the recordings and prepare reports for Belizean fisheries officials.  The project is being carried out under Belize’s Blue Bonds for Ocean Conservation programme. It is supported by The Nature Conservancy and financed through the Belize Fund for a Sustainable Future. Officials say the system should improve accountability in the fishing industry, make it easier to trace seafood products and help Belize meet international standards for sustainable fishing.