The UK’s Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and the Belize Fisheries Department have begun work to reinstate community Managed Access Committees (MACs) nationwide. The British High Commission Belmopan confirmed the collaboration on 22 December 2025 under the Ocean Country Partnership Programme, stating that the next engagement phase is planned for January–March 2026 in northern and central communities and that participation should include youth and women so local fishers have a formal role in day‑to‑day decisions.
Managed Access is Belize’s rights‑based system, introduced nationally in 2016 to move from open access to territorial user rights. Government objectives include improving fisher livelihoods and protecting the Belize Barrier Reef, with MACs providing a forum for communities and managers to agree area priorities and oversight.
According to the Belize Fisheries Department, Managed Access empowers fishers through active participation in committees that oversee and manage fishing areas. Reinstating MACs therefore revives a core co‑management function by channelling local evidence and providing a standing interface between communities, cooperatives and the Department.
Belize’s Fisheries Resources Act (No. 7 of 2020) underpins the current regime. The Act establishes participatory governance via a national Fisheries Council, which the Government has described as responsible for policy development, reviewing management plans and coordinating across departments. Restoring MACs complements this advisory architecture by formalising local input at area level.
For licence‑holders, core operational rules remain unchanged. The Department’s licensing guidance requires commercial captains to submit catch logs and for vessels to display colour codes matching their authorised fishing area. Combined with area‑based licences, these measures are central to Managed Access and will frame how reinstated MACs assess local issues and outreach.
The Fisheries Department also signals the importance of data collection and analysis as routine management tasks. Reliable catch reports connect community management with enforcement and review, making data quality a practical priority for MAC chairs and cooperatives as meetings restart.
Recent reforms show sustained follow‑through. In November 2020 the Government prohibited gillnets through Statutory Instrument 158 of 2020, a measure presented as the culmination of a two‑year, multi‑stakeholder process to phase out the gear and support transitions.
International compliance has also advanced. In September 2025 the Government announced that NOAA granted a comparability finding for all Belizean fisheries, enabling continued exports to the United States beyond 1 January 2026. Community‑led governance under Managed Access supports delivery against such requirements.
During the upcoming engagement phase, cooperatives and associations can prepare nominations for balanced MAC membership and identify local priorities grounded in landing data. Coordinating with the Department on vessel colour‑coding and consistent logbook submissions will help early sessions focus on practical issues that matter to fishers.
Outlook: officials in both countries have framed MAC reinstatement as governance repair rather than a new scheme. Progress in early 2026 will be judged on whether committees are stood up, meetings are regular, and reporting and compliance improve in the areas they cover.