Anguilla 
Antigua and Barbuda 
Grenada 
Bahamas 
Barbados 
Belize 
Dominica 
Guyana 
Haiti 
Jamaica 
Montserrat 
St. Kitts and Nevis 
St. Lucia 
St. Vincent and the Grenadines 
Suriname 
Trinidad and Tobago 
Turks and Caicos 
National Report on the Status of Fisheries and Aquaculture in BELIZE
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 2022, the Fishing Industry of Belize remained viable, healthy, and strong. The fishing sector continues to support Belize’s socioeconomic growth by providing jobs, ensuring food security, export earnings and to the overall socio-economic development of Belize. This year, the Fishing Industry provided direct employment to over 3,376 licensed fishers and directly benefited nearly 17,000 Belizeans. Under the leadership and guidance of the Ministry of Blue Economy and Civil Aviation, the Belize Fisheries Department, which has the legal mandate for the management, conservation and sustainable use of the fishery resources and the inland and marine ecosystems of Belize made good advancements despite resource constraints that prevent the full and efficient implementation of the annual work plans created by the various units of the Department.
The Caribbean Spiny lobster and queen conch continued to be Belize's top two fishery products. In 2022, export earnings for fishery products totaled US$26,133,959. This export value represents a slight decrease compared to 2021, when total exports of fishery products amounted to US$26,956,995.
In 2022, 977,940 pounds of market-clean queen conch meat were produced and exported, mostly to the United States. The total revenue was US$8,763,070, an increase of 11% from the revenue of $7,880,640.00 in 2021. Owing to the rise in demand following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in the United States of America, market prices for queen conch have marginally increased when compared to pre-COVID-19 market pricing.
HOW TO CITE: Belize Fisheries Department, 2026. National Report on the Status of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Belize. Contribution 10.5, p 42-58 IN CRFM, 2026. Volume II: National Reports on the Status of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Papers presented at the CRFM 20th Anniversary Scientific Conference, 28-31 August 2023. CRFM Special Publication No. 37, CRFM Secretariat https://www.crfm.int/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=959
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