It is a really pleasant time to be here, with the wonderful trade winds blowing gently. Yes, definitely kite weather. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Cooperatives and the Ministry of Finance continues to provide recovery assistance to those areas of the productive sector that were affected by Hurricane Keith. Registrar of Cooperatives, Mr. Joseph Bradley, says that the funds will be used to provide Cooperative members with loans to assist them in the rehabilitation of the fishing industry. This undoubtedly put a huge dent in production throughout the rest of the lobster season.
Some fishermen report that they lost all of their pots - and thus their livelihood.
The Northern Fishing Cooperative has been able to help their members. With the government grant they can now give their members a reasonable payout in order for them to replace pots and get ready for the forthcoming season. On a brighter note, fly-fishing and bottom fishing have reported a good comeback with fishermen and tourists all very positive. Professional fishermen have said that since the Hurricane they are finding fish much closer to the Caye than before, which of course reduces their expenses, to say nothing of time. Some regular visitors are saying that this ix the best ever fishing season that they could remember.