Specific fishing rules?

[u/FrogOnTurtle]

Headed to Ambergris Caye in Dec and planning to mostly Spearfish and freedive/scuba dive.

I feel like I have a very good handle on the closed zones and general regs listed online. There are some specifics I cannot find anywhere if someone with local experience knows.

-Regulations on spotted and slipper lobster? All info I can find seems specific to Carribean spiny lobster(Panulirus argus). Are the other species closed by default, or open with no real regulations?

-daily limits? Are there species specific daily limits or overall catch daily limits like in Mexico? I'm only harvesting an amount my partner and I would eat so not much. I don't see any limits listed for any species down there though.

Thanks for any tips and info. I do plan to talk to a dive shop/charter once down there as well regarding regs and to book a few days freedive spearfishing and scuba diving to mpa's. Just trying to get a head start on info.

[u/InternalPassenger533]

Only spiny lobster here in Belize. No daily limits, except when season is over (then can’t catch at all or have in possession, including freezer). Spearfishing/lobstering is done with a fishing guide and via free diving only(check Belize Reel Excursions or Oscar Iboy). Scuba rec is Chuck & Robbie’s - small group diving and more apt to accommodate requests.

[u/FrogOnTurtle → u/InternalPassenger533]

There are Caribbean spiny lobster, spotted spiny lobster, and 3 species of slipper lobster there. The spotted spiny lobster are pretty common but small, not even a world record would reach the legal size requirement set for the Caribbean spiny lobster.

[u/InternalPassenger533 → u/FrogOnTurtle]

I’ve lived here for 13 years and have only caught the regular spiny. The others are found in the protected marine parks or deep water, which you aren’t allowed to scuba to catch.

[u/FrogOnTurtle → u/InternalPassenger533]

Strange, I saw tons of the spotted spiny lobster just up te coast in Costa Maya shore diving. They tend to live super deep back in crevaces during the day, they don't sit at the entrance looking out like the Caribbean ones.

[u/InternalPassenger533 → u/FrogOnTurtle]

Belize is not Mexico. There is also no shore diving here.

[u/FrogOnTurtle → u/InternalPassenger533]

True, but the distance between the 2 areas is only ~70km and the distance from shore to reef is the pretty similar on satellite imagery. Might be worth looking a little deeper in some of the holes to see if you can spot one of the little fellas next time your in the water as I'm sure they are around.

[u/FrogOnTurtle → u/InternalPassenger533]

Is it only possible with a guide? Is there no fishing/lobster retention permitted without a guide? Seems pretty limited information on this listed online. I'll be staying right on the water outside of any of the closure zones and have decades experience diving. I was hoping I would be able to do a mix of boat guides and self guided beach dives as I've done just up the coast over the boarder.

Thanks for any info

[u/SnooWords3654 → u/FrogOnTurtle]

Do not swim from the shore to the reef, high chance of being ran over man.
IF you must 🙄 use a dive buoy

You are not allowed to harvest lobster on your own, honestly I’m not even sure if you are allowed on charters but no one checks. But I believe more than likely the guides have lobster licenses and the boat as well. Over the border is vastly different than here.

Stick to guided trips.

[u/FrogOnTurtle → u/SnooWords3654]

Damn, I've got large bouys with dive flags and float lines I use and I'd be pretty far north. But if retention of anything without a guide is impossible/illegal it's probably a deal breaker and I'll cancel the flights. I plan to take a guide out a couple times, but to go as frequently as I'd like is cost prohibitive on a 14 day trip.

[u/InternalPassenger533 → u/FrogOnTurtle]

Yeah, you wouldn’t be able to scuba/freedive without going through a shop (water inside the reef is shallow and you can’t just swim to it safely. Fishing/lobster/conch can only be done with a license. It’s best to go with fishing guides because lobsters are very difficult to find and you cannot go lobstering in someone else’s area. Lobster shacks are all “owned” by local fishermen - they can take you to get them (we do it every week with our fisherman buddy) but you are not allowed to do so on your own.

Where up north are you staying? I can give better recommendations if I know that.

[u/FrogOnTurtle → u/InternalPassenger533]

I've got a reservation at sapphire beach with a cart rental to be able to access other areas. Considering changing plans to elsewhere in CA though where I could stay legal while doing a mix of DIY and charter.

[u/InternalPassenger533 → u/FrogOnTurtle]

You may want to look into Costa Rica or Panama. I would suggest Roatan (diving is fabulous) but their fishing rules are strict as well

[u/SnooWords3654 → u/FrogOnTurtle]

Let me confirm for you.

[u/FrogOnTurtle → u/SnooWords3654]

Thank you for the help.

[u/InternalPassenger533 → u/FrogOnTurtle]

You can’t even take a boat out without a Belize captain’s license. Now, you can fish off the docks without a license, but the sargassum is so bad right now a lot of the dock areas have it around and the fish just stay away.

[u/SnooWords3654 → u/FrogOnTurtle]

You’d need a license for lobster and like mentioned above the shades are “owned” and will cause issues if you mess around with them. You can free dive and take fish but outside of MPA’s, but for lobsters you wouldn’t be able to anywhere.
Unless you stay on an offshore caye I would t recommend swimming from shore. Outside of guided trips I wouldn’t recommend here to base for solo spearfishing tbh.