Current Capture Fisheries Species:
  • The current Capture Fisheries Species in Belize are the Spiny Lobster (Palinuridae), Queen Conch (Strombus gigas), Sea Cucumber (Holothuroidea), and Finfish.
  • The market destinations for Capture Fisheries Species include USA, Canada, Asia, Mexico, and CARICOM markets.

Current Culture Species:
  • The species currently in culture in Belize are the Pacific White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vanammei), the Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Cobia (Rachycentron canadum).
    Other species have historically been farmed in Belize: these include a range of ornamental African Rift Lake Cichlids such as Haplochromis and Pseudochromis, as well as food fishes such as Shrimp.
  • The major Shrimp farms are located along the coastal plain of Belize and stretches from the just north of Dangriga in its most northerly extent, to a little south of the Big Creek Port in its southerly extent.
  • The market destinations for Belizean Farmed Shrimp include USA, Europe, Mexico, Asia and CARICOM markets.

Market – Destinations
  • The main market destinations for fisheries and aquaculture commodities have been USA, Canada, Asia, Europe, Mexico, Guatemala and CARICOM markets.
  • The competitive advantage of Belize in the region is the proximity to these markets, especially in accessing the US market which is 2 hours and fresh products can be supplied on a weekly basis.

 Source of Profile: Belize Fisheries Department
 
Competitive Advantages:
  • Belize is geographically located between 15° 53’ and 18 ° 30’ North Latitude, and 87 ° 15’ and 89 °15’ West Longitude.
  • The country is sub-divided into two (2) climatic regimes with sub-tropical conditions in the northern lowlands and central inland areas, and tropical conditions in the southern mountains and coastal plains.
  • Mean monthly maxima air temperatures ranges from 33 ° in the summer to 28 ° in the winter, and mean monthly minima range from 16 ° in the winter to 24 ° in the summer.
  • Sea water temperatures off the coast of Belize range from 26.9ْ C to 30.5 ْ C.
 
Investment Opportunities
 
A number of species can be farmed in Belize. These include native stocks such as the “River Lobster” (Macrobrachium spp.), Blue-eye Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus), Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis), Mutton Snapper (Lutjanus analis), Nassau Grouper (Epinephelus striatus), Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus), exotic species such as the Australian Freshwater Lobster (Cherax quadricarinatus), channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), Flounder (Paralichthyidae spp.), American Oyster (Crassostrea virginica), Malaysian Prawn (Macrobrachium rosembergii), Florida Pompano (Trachinotus carolinus).
 
There are many investment opportunities to also consider in the Fisheries and Aquaculture sector such as the farming of Seaweed, Sea Cucumber, Finfish, Florida Stone Crab and their value added products. Bio Prospecting for the cosmetics industry is also an unexplored opportunity with a wealth of untapped natural resources available.  
 
The aquaculture production systems most suited for commercial aquaculture investment in Belize would include:
 
  • Marine cage farming systems within the inner Barrier Reef Lagoon, which has major protection from Hurricanes due to the various Cayes and reef formation in the surrounding seas;
  • There are great potentials for raft culture and rope culture to farm oysters and seaweed respectively;
  • Earthen embankment ponds to accommodate aquaculture along the coastal plain as well as in inland areas;
  • Freshwater cage farming systems in inland lagoon areas.
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The main market destinations for aquaculture commodities have been the US market, and other emerging markets have been Mexico and Guatemala, as well as the CARICOM markets;
 
The key competitive advantage of Belize in the region is the proximity to these markets, especially in accessing the US market which is 2 hours, and fresh products can be supplied on a weekly basis.