Conserving a Blue Shore of Silence
by Kristin Kovalik
Photos by Turneffe Atoll Trust (Chris Corbin and Kristin Kovalik)
Would you do it if it was easy?
If you’ve fallen in love you know it’s not always easy. But does that stop you from doing it? We fall in love with people, activities, pets and places. The memories and feelings remain long after the first encounter. If you’ve been to Turneffe Atoll in Belize you know what I’m talking about. The place is magical and not just because you can chase bonefish, tarpon and permit all day and not see another angler. The place is magical because it exists.
You fall in love with the beauty and the quiet. Turneffe has a way of making you pause, slow down and really feel the heartbeat. That feeling is a connection between the human spirit and the natural world and we’re hard wired to protect what we love.
The Price of Beauty
Located off the coast of Belize City, Turneffe Atoll is surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and at 30 miles long and 10 miles wide, it is Belize’s largest Marine Reserve. The Atoll has well-developed reefs along its entire margin while a network of highly productive back-reef flats, creeks, lagoons and lush seagrass beds string together islands and cayes of mangrove forests and white sand beaches. Ultimately it was the human experiences and connections with Turneffe’s beauty that led to the formation of the Turneffe Atoll Trust (TAT), the only non-profit organization working to protect and conserve the Atoll. Sustainable management of the fishery has been the highest priority and in 2009 TAT led an effort to pass Catch and Release legislation protecting the three main sport fish; bonefish, tarpon and permit. In 2012 TAT championed the Marine Reserve designation and the Turneffe Atoll Management Plan. Now the organization is expanding its conservation program further. Why? Because everything that makes Turneffe special to sport anglers, divers and snorkelers is also attracting developers. Despite the lack of modern conveniences on the majority of the Atoll, development pressures are increasing. Irresponsible and destructive projects like mangrove deforestation and dredging is threatening the health of the Atoll. Mangroves, seagrass and back-reef flats are interdependent and particularly sensitive habitats which act as fish breeding grounds, as well as habitat for juvenile and adult marine species. These habitats must be preserved in order to sustain Turneffe’s ecological and economic value. Doing nothing is not an option.
‘Tan saafly better than beg paad’n
To stand softly is better than to beg pardon (prevention is better than cure) is a Kriol saying in Belize. And a motto that TAT can relate to. Earlier this year TAT worked with ecotourism operators at Turneffe and the Belize Federation of Fishermen to formalize the Belize Fishermen and Ecotourism Alliance. Craig Hayes, owner of Turneffe Flats Lodge and founder of Turneffe Atoll Trust said the time was right for these two groups to come together.
“Both entities rely on healthy habitat and effective management to sustain the fishery and economically thrive. With commercial fishermen bringing local expertise and influence, and ecotourism bringing international connections and potential funding, this should be a symbiotic relationship. The time is right to work together as one voice to leverage our resources and support greater habitat protections at Turneffe Atoll.”
A partnership with the Alliance will be critical as TAT begins to legally challenge projects at Turneffe that don’t follow proper development guidelines and Belize’s environmental laws. The Alliance will help TAT educate stakeholders including fishermen and decision makers, and advocate for increased habitat protections. Easy work? No. Work that’s needed when it’s time to protect what you love? Absolutely.
The Lobster and the Conch
While fly fishermen from all over the world visit Turneffe and spend long days searching for tailing bonefish and permit, artisanal fishermen ply the waters searching for finfish, conch and lobster. For generations, livelihoods have been made or lost by fishing and Turneffe has been a major contributor to Belize’s economy and commercial harvest.
Turneffe Atoll has historically been known as one of the primary production areas for the Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) and to a lesser extent, the queen conch (Strombus gigas). The two species form the most important components of the Belize fishery, representing over 90% of the total harvest in 2008, and an export value of US$10.3 million. However, as the numbers of fishermen increase, the harvest pressure is increasing too. Maintaining, or better yet enhancing, Turneffe conch and lobster populations is critical to the well-being of commercial artisanal fishermen and the economic cvalue of the fishery.
Prior to 2015 no adequate information existed on the queen conch or spiny lobster stocks at Turneffe Atoll, but that changed when TAT worked with a team from Montana State University to develop the first-ever comprehensive baseline survey and monitoring plan for queen conch. TAT’s priority for 2016 is to again work with the team from Montana State University and fill the information gaps by conducting a comprehensive baseline survey of spiny lobster at Turneffe. Findings will not only have applicability to conch and lobster management at Turneffe but throughout Belize and elsewhere in the Caribbean.
As Pablo Neruda wrote in his poem On the Blue Shore of Silence I need the sea because it teaches me. I don’t know if I learn music or awareness, if it’s a single wave or its vast existence, or only its harsh voice or its shining suggestion of fishes and ships. The fact is that until I fall asleep, in some magnetic way I move in the university of the waves.So the next time you find yourself fly fishing at Turneffe, taking in the beauty of the sea, allowing it to be your teacher and feeling that connection, the kind of connection that makes you fall in love with the natural world – take a moment. Ask yourself, what am I doing to protect what I love? What can I do to make sure the beauty and the magic remains for others so they too can feel the love?
Turneffe Atoll Trust has launched a two year campaign to raise awareness and funding for the protection of Turneffe Atoll. For more information about the conservation programs mentioned in this article and to financially support the efforts to keep Turneffe a healthy saltwater fishery and beautiful place visit www.turneffeatoll.org
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DECLINE OF THE STRIPED BASS
BONEFISH AND TARPON TRUST SYMPOSIUM 2017
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