The UK’s Marine Management Organisation is working with the Belize Fisheries Department and the Ministry of Blue Economy & Marine Conservation to restart Managed Access Committees, the local councils that vet licences and advise on rules. The partnership sits under the Ocean Country Partnership Programme and moves to a second round of engagement between January and March 2026 across northern and central Belize, according to a GOV.UK notice published on 22 December 2025.

Why it matters for money flows: marine products remain a meaningful earner for Belize. Statistical Institute of Belize data show domestic exports totalled BZ$459.9m in 2024, with marine products contributing roughly BZ$37.1m-led by spiny lobster tails (about BZ$19.2m) and queen conch (about BZ$13.4m). That places fisheries squarely in the country’s tradable base, even as sugar and bananas dominate the export basket.

The buyers are familiar. United Nations/World Bank trade data indicate the United States is the main destination for Belizean frozen spiny lobster, importing about US$7.0m in 2023; broader U.S.-bound fish and crustacean shipments reached roughly US$14.8m in 2024. In other words, export growth in this sector depends on meeting U.S. import rules and buyer expectations on provenance and legality.

Traceability is tightening. NOAA has proposed expanding the Seafood Import Monitoring Program to include queen conch and Caribbean spiny lobster-two mainstays of Belize’s catch-while the EU’s updated fisheries control regime will require full digital traceability for fresh and frozen products from January 2026. Queen conch was also listed as “threatened” under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in February 2024, raising the regulatory temperature around sourcing. Together, these changes reward fisheries that can evidence lawful harvests and documented supply chains.

Belize’s co‑operatives have already tested the tools. The National Fishermen’s Co‑operative rolled out QR‑code product traceability using ThisFish TALLY to give overseas buyers catch‑to‑box transparency-an early sign that the private end of the chain is ready to meet higher import standards. Reinstating local committees should improve the public‑side ingredients: licence vetting, data submission and two‑way communication between officials and fishers.

The governance logic is straightforward. Belize pioneered rights‑based ‘Managed Access’ nationally in 2016 after successful pilots at Glover’s Reef and Port Honduras. Evidence from those pilots points to far higher reporting rates (over 90% of fishers submitting catch data) and fewer violations once fishers have secure access and a seat at the table-exactly the behaviours that underpin credible traceability and stock stewardship.

For UK taxpayers, the value case sits in risk reduction and price realisation. The Ocean Country Partnership Programme is funded through the UK’s £500m Blue Planet Fund, with up to £54m allocated to OCPP through 2024–25 and delivery by Cefas, JNCC and the MMO; OCPP is scheduled to conclude in March 2026. In Belize, UK support has included targeted grants-such as £99,191 for a mangrove nursery‑habitat project and around £100,000 for women‑led seaweed mariculture. Against marine export earnings of c.BZ$37m a year, even a modest uplift in price or volume from better compliance and traceability more than covers these small interventions.

A simple scenario illustrates the point. Lobster tails accounted for roughly BZ$19.2m of export value in 2024. If improved governance and documentation helped Belizean producers realise just 5% more in price or market access, that would add around BZ$1.0m in annual receipts-far in excess of individual UK micro‑grants. With the Belize dollar effectively pegged at BZ$2 to US$1, the revenue maths is easy to track for both governments.

This reform also aligns with the wider flow of blue‑economy capital. The World Bank approved a US$32.23m ‘Blue Cities and Beyond’ project in early 2025 to improve coastal management and cut land‑based pollution, while Belize’s Blue Bonds vehicle-the Belize Fund for a Sustainable Future-reports over US$25m approved for marine conservation and blue business to date. Stronger, community‑led fisheries governance helps those investments translate into export resilience.

There is a governance lesson for the UK as well. Watchdogs have previously pressed for clearer oversight and value‑for‑money metrics across the Blue Planet Fund. Belize’s committee reboot offers a practical test: track catch‑reporting rates, enforcement outcomes and export earnings per licence over the next 12 months to show whether technical assistance is paying back in measurable terms.

What’s next. The UK–Belize team moves into its January–March 2026 engagement window in the north and centre of the country. For co‑operative managers and processors, the near‑term task list is operational-align buying protocols to traceability standards now widely expected by U.S. and EU importers, and keep lines open with committees as licence reviews, data systems and patrol priorities are refined.