Yabra Fish Market Launch Gives Fishermen New Economic Lifeline

For just one dollar a day, six Belize City fishermen now have an opportunity to grow their business and build a steady customer base, following the launch of a new community-focused initiative in the Yabra area.  This morning, the Belize City Council officially unveiled the Yabra Fish Market at the Yarborough Pumping Station Grounds, marking what officials describe as a practical step toward strengthening grassroots economic activity.  The initiative is designed to provide structured and sustainable opportunities for small-scale fishermen, while also improving access to fresh seafood for residents within the municipality. The project, developed in partnership with members of the Yabra community, will initially accommodate six vendors operating in a designated and organized space.  Mayor Bernard Wagner says the concept is simple but impactful.

Bernard Wagner, Mayor of Belize City: “One dollar a day, one dollar a day, can you believe that? I always joke with them when we are in the meetings that listen, this is ownership you take ownership of this. You have a jar or a pan, just put in one dollar a day from your sales. By the time the end of the month reaches, you have that 30 dollars for the month. It’s really fulfilling in view of the council manifesto promises that was one of our manifesto promise to really rehabilitate the space here at Yabra to drive local economic development,  engage the community and have the people be a part of something good for their for their community. We’ll house six fishermen but again it’s a community effort, it’s them coming together and say these are the six folks that we want in this space but It is not in stone that they are interchangeable. We are hoping that out of this, we will provide that sort of propulsion to create more spaces like this.”

Reporter: Where does the responsibility lie for upkeep and maintenance ? 
Bernard Wagner, Mayor of Belize City: “It’s a combination of both the city but also the ownership of the fisherfolk here. We spoke to them and they have bought into the fact that you take ownership of this space, this space is for your economic development, for your community economic development and so they have really bought into that and they have taken the ownership and we see it just by their engagement with the entire project.”

The Belize City Council has invested approximately eighteen thousand dollars into the project.  Mayor Wagner was sure to make a distinction between this initiative and the recently launched fish fry project on North Front Street, noting that while both support local livelihoods, they serve different purposes within the city’s broader economic strategy.

Bernard Wagner, Mayor of Belize City: “This is being run by the Yabra community. They are the owners, then take ownership and I tell them plain you all are the owners of this space we just have been the facilitators of putting in the necessary operational to make sure it operates but now they are the owners of this and that is why it’s a small investment eighteen thousand dollars but it shows you how impactful right small investments in communities such as these Yabra and other areas in the city, in the urban areas, small value but big impact.”

City officials say the Yabra Fish Market is expected to not only support fishermen but also strengthen community ties by connecting residents directly to fresh, locally sourced seafood.