Tropic's View 2018

TROPIC’S

Vol 1 9 , E d it ion 1

2018

THE OFFICIAL M AG A Z I N E O F TROPIC AIR

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Welcome Aboard Welcome aboard and thanks for flying with us today. At Tropic, we believe in celebrating Belize like no one else.

As we start a new year, we realize how incredibly fortunate we all are to call Belize home. We have so much to be proud of and thankful for as Belizeans: our kindness, tolerance, compassion for others, understanding, and most of all our freedom to travel and enjoy this beautiful country we call home.

As we continue to grow, one of our biggest investments is not visible to customers: continued implementation of our new reservation system. It’s the backbone of every airline and supports just about every function we do. It’s a massive, ongoing undertaking that will give us more tools and capabilities to offer our customers added value and more convenience. Because of this system, 2018 will see the rollout of our Frequent Flyer Program (TropicMiles), more functionality in our website, and even full interline agreements with some major carriers. All of these and more, will change the landscape in Belize.

© 2018 Tropic Air Limited. Cover Photo: JC Cuellar

In 2018, we will also inaugurate new facilities at the Belize International Airport, expand flights domestically, connecting some important dots, as well as increasing service on some of our more popular routes. This is all part of growing with Belize. After all, we are the Airline of Belize.

We thank you for being a part of our history and, most importantly, our future. We hope you enjoy Belize as all our employees do, every day.

John E. Greif III President

Steve Schulte Chief Executive Officer

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About Belize HISTORY Independent since 1981, Belize covers 8867 square miles and has a little over 350,000 residents of Mestizo (Spanish - Indian), Creole (African - European), Maya, Garifuna, Chinese, East Indian and European descent. Bordered by Mexico to the north, Guatemala to the west and south and the Caribbean Sea to the east, the topography ranges from mountains to sea level mangrove forests where three atolls and the second longest reef in the world (only Australia’s is longer) are dotted with hundreds of islands (called cayes).

ENTRY A valid passport is required for all. Some nationalities require visas.

Foreigners leaving are also required to pay a departure tax. Retirees and investment citizens are welcome, though a specialized immigration and residency process is required.

CURRENCY The Belize dollar is pegged at BZ$2 to US$1. US dollars are accepted widely (crisp and unmarked bills are always best). ATMs are available countrywide, and most merchants will accept major credit cards.

TIME ZONE Belize is in USA central standard time (GMT --6); daylight saving is not observed.

LANGUAGE English is the official language.

However, Spanish is widely spoken, as is the English Creole dialect. Garifuna, Maya (Ketchi, Mopan), East Indian, Mandarin, and Hindi are also spoken in the culturally specific areas.

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Where We Fly BELIZE CITY Belize City is the hub of transportation, commerce and culture. The Museum of Belize, The Bliss Institute and The House of Culture (housed in a 19th century colonial Governor’s residence) all showcase stunning ancient artifacts and historic memorabilia. Visit St. John’s Cathedral, the oldest Anglican Cathedral in Central America or watch sailboats rock gently near the hand cranked Swing Bridge. Get close to jaguars and other native species at the Belize Zoo, indulge in an airboat ride through Manatee Lagoon or climb the Temple of the Sun God at Altun Ha. Offshore, take a boat to St. George’s or Goff’s Caye for snorkeling and manatee spotting. Tropic Air serves both the Belize Municipal (TZA), and the larger Phillip Goldson International Airport (BZE).

BELMOPAN Referred to as “Garden City”, Belmopan was established as Belize’s capital after Hurricane Hattie in 1961. Here you will find the seat of government and its agencies along with foreign embassies. Belmopan is also one of the destinations to fly to if you’re looking for inland adventures and natural beauty of the Cayo District. In the Mountain Pine Ridge, you will find places such as the Thousand Foot Falls, Rio Frio Caves, Rio On Pools, and beautiful caves and rivers. Cayo is also home to some of the most famous Maya sites. Don’t forget La Ruta Maya River Canoe Challenge every March, the inland Blue Hole, horseback riding, hiking, cave tubing, zip-lining and birding. © Chukka Tours T H E

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CANCUN, MEXICO Situated on the south-east coast of Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula, Cancun offers something for everyone. There are eco parks, ancient Maya sites, white powdery sand beaches and turquoise waters with all the water sports you can imagine. Enjoy fabulous restaurants, a throbbing nightlife and great shopping. Cancun also offers excellent connections for those wishing to bypass the USA on their way to and from European and Canadian cities.

CAYE CAULKER Just 21 miles northeast of Belize City and 11 miles south of Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker is the epitome of a laid back lifestyle.

June is famous for Lobsterfest which celebrates the opening of the lobster season. Front Street is full of brightly colored wooden houses, shops, restaurants and small hotels. The Belize Barrier Reef is clearly visible from shore and snorkeling at Shark Ray Alley / Hol Chan is highly recommended.

COROZAL Corozal town occupies the foundations of the ancient Maya city of Santa Rita, the remains of which can still be visited. Another Maya site, Cerros, overlooks the white capped Corozal Bay. Corozal was traditionally the heart of the country’s sugar industry, and sugar cane fields are still abundant in the surround8

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ing countryside. Not far from Corozal are the picturesque fishing village of Sarteneja and the Shipstern Nature Reserve with its abundant flora and fauna.

DANGRIGA Home to the Garifuna, Dangriga is famous for its drums and punta music. South Water Caye, Tobacco Caye and Glover’s Reef Atoll are a short boat ride from here. Hopkins village, a 40 minute drive from Dangriga, is a quaint, quiet fishing village that has grown in popularity over the last few years. The surrounding marsh landscape is home to jabiru storks and other interesting birds. Stretching across nearly five miles of sandy palm strewn beaches, Hopkins and its distinct culture, is home to hundreds of Garifuna families and many distinct resorts that combine the best of the Maya Mountains, the beach, and the reef.

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Even if you aren’t staying with us...

Fish with us.

• Most experienced, local flats guides in Belize. Will travel to find fish • On-staff fishing director to make your trip a success • Fully-stocked fly shop including premium rods and reels for demo use

Photo: Orion Media

226-2398 • info@elpescador.com

AMBERGRIS CAYE

www.elpescador.com

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Locally owned. Community Driven.

For more about us and our work in the community, visit BlueWaterGrillBelize.com We match donations dollar for dollar.

MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS ONLINE

Wood Fired Pizzas • Great Salads • Fresh Seafood • Sushi on Tuesdays & Thursdays • Live Reggae on Friday Nights Breakfast: 7AM – 10:30AM • Lunch: 11:30AM – 2:00PM Happy Hour: 3:30PM – 5:30PM • Dinner: 5:30PM – 9:30PM Located on the beach (across from the airstrip at the Sunbreeze Hotel)

Phone: 226 3347 BlueWaterGrillBelize.com ROOFTOP LOUNGE NOW OPEN

Open everyday for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Indoor A/C dining room, outdoor patio, or rooftop lounge.

Mondays and Fridays: Half price wine | Wednesdays: Half price champagne Brunch on Saturday & Sunday 8:30AM - 2:30PM Breakfast 7:30AM - 10:30AM Lunch 11:30AM - 2:30PM • Dinner 6PM - 9:30PM Located at The Phoenix Resort (in town, at the end of Front St.)

Phone: 226 4623 RedGingerBelize.com JOIN US FOR WINE SOCIALS TUESDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHTS.

Wine Bar and Gourmet Deli Over 300 wines from around the world 50 meats & cheeses Wines by the glass, bottle, or case Gift baskets, party platters, & more Open from 9AM - 6PM. Closed on Sundays.

Open until 8PM on Tuesdays & Fridays.

Located on Coconut Drive (behind Ramon’s Village)

Phone: 226 3430 WinedeVine.com

FLORES (TIKAL), GUATEMALA Flores, Guatemala is home to the grand Maya site of Tikal. Deep in the Peten jungle of Guatemala, it ranks among the most significant archaeological discoveries of the region. Three thousand stone temples, palaces, and other structures date back thousands of years.

Tikal is a place for marveling at the amazing accomplishments of the Maya civilization and the splendors of the surrounding rainforest. The area also presents an excellent opportunity to see toucans, parrots, spider and howler monkeys, among other wildlife.

GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA Guatemala City is the economic, governmental and cultural capital of Guatemala and the largest metropolitan city in Central America.

The city itself is a sprawling, bustling metropolis. In addition to a wide variety of restaurants, hotels and shops, the city has art galleries, theatres and museums. It offers all the sites and sounds of a modern city sprinkled with important historic sites.

Just a short drive away and worth a visit, are the beautiful towns of Antigua and the wonders of Lake Atitlan.

ORANGE WALK (TOWER HILL) Orange Walk Town is the second largest town in Belize. With about 13,400 residents, it is the capital of the Orange Walk District. It is located on the left bank of the New River, 53 miles (85 km) north of Belize City and 30 miles (50 km) T H E

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south of Corozal Town, and is considered the gateway to the Lamanai Archaeological Reserve.

In addition to Lamanai, Orange Walk is also the historical home to the sugar industry. Even today in “Sugar City”, this industry continues to thrive, and plays a vital role in the local economy.

PLACENCIA The 16 mile long Placencia Peninsula in southern Belize is also home to the communities of Maya Beach, and Seine Bight. Placencia village itself, boasts the narrowest main street in the world, according to Guinness World Book of Records. Here too, Lobsterfest is a popular celebration in June. In February, the Placencia Sidewalk Arts Festival takes place.

April and May see the arrival of the magnificent whale shark and diving or snorkeling with them is a not-to-be-missed experience. From here, you can also explore Monkey River and the Cockscomb Basin or sail to many of the southern cayes. Laughing Bird Caye National Park is just a short boat ride away.

PUNTA GORDA PG, as it is locally known, is the largest town in the fishing and agricultural focused Toledo District. The surrounding areas are full of traditional Maya villages where visitors can interact with the local Maya people, spend the night in traditional houses, experience their culture, and try out tasty “caldo” and corn tortillas. © Belize Tourism Board

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Visit Toledo in May and experience chocolate and wine indulgence at The Chocolate Festival. For the adventurous, some of the largest cave systems in the world can be found nearby. On most Wednesdays and Saturdays, the market on Front St. showcases produce from local farmers and handicraft items from indigenous Mayan artists and craftsmen.

ROATAN, HONDURAS Situated 30 miles from mainland Honduras, Roatan is the largest of the Bay Islands. Measuring 40 miles long and surrounded by coral reef, it is famous for its diving (especially reef walls, shipwrecks, and even a submerged airplane). Its beautiful waters and sandy beaches are a vacationer’s paradise. The island’s inland attractions include horseback riding, biking and two canopy tours.

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Roatan also shares many cultural ties to Belize. One will notice many of the same place names such as Corozal and Punta Gorda, and even some of the same “Creole� being spoken.

SAN IGNACIO / BENQUE VIEJO DEL CARMEN Located in western Belize, San Ignacio, serves as the capital of the Cayo District. It got its start from mahogany and chicle production in the Colonial era, but has gradually evolved into the center of commerce and tourism for the western part of the country.

The area has many Maya sites (including Cahal Pech, Caracol, and Xunantunich), caves such as world renowned Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) and other points of interest such as the Mountain Pine Ridge, Tapir Mountain Reserve and the Macal River. Cayo is also home to

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many award winning resorts, medicine trails and nature programs (such as the Green Iguana Project).

San Ignacio, and its sister towns of Benque Viejo del Carmen (on the border with Guatemala) and Santa Elena also serve as a hub of agricultural activity. In recent years, oil has been found in the areas settled by the Mennonites, and this has also led to a burst of economic activity.

SAN PEDRO, AMBERGRIS CAYE San Pedro is the main town on Ambergris Caye, the most northerly and largest of the 200 cayes off the coast of Belize. The Barrier Reef is just a 20 minute boat ride away making this a truly world-class fishing, diving and snorkeling destination.

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Hol Chan Marine Reserve is a snorkeler’s dream, alive with turtles, rays and schools of fish, big and small. Shark-Ray Alley, just a little south of Hol Chan, allows visitors to get up close and personal © Belize Tourism Board with friendly nurse sharks and stingrays.

The island’s clear, shallow waters and prevailing winds are ideal for windsurfing, sailing and kite surfing. North of the island, the Bacalar Chico Reserve is an adventurer’s paradise, while the lagoon on the island’s western side provides an excellent opportunity for birding and flat fishing for tarpon, bonefish and permit. There is even a small Maya site, Marco Gonzalez, on the south end of the island.

San Pedro town has a unique feel and offers sophisticated international cuisine in beach side restaurants, mixed with local cafes and 16

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Š Belize Tourism Board

bars serving traditional Belizean food and drinks. The island is also home to many award winning hotels, spas, tour operators and resorts, while the town streets bustle with local artists and craftsmen displaying their unique wares.

2 M ile s N or t h @ G r a n d Ca r i be B el i ze Ambergris Caye, Belize

Best of all it is also the place Tropic Air calls home.

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+501 226-4000 reser vations@rainbelize.com www.rainbelize.com

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@rainrestaurantbz

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Our Featured Tour BLUE HOLE from the AIR See the world famous Great Blue Hole the way it was meant to be seen … from the air.

Fly to Lighthouse Reef Atoll, one of three in Belize, and home of this natural wonder of the world. En route, you will see the Belize Barrier Reef (the longest in the Western Hemisphere), Turneffe Atoll, Halfmoon Caye, Shipwrecks and perhaps even a glimpse of Glovers Reef. © Tony Rath • trphoto.com

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As you make several fly-bys of the Blue Hole, take all the photos to show your friends. Be sure to keep watch on the water below for traditional sailing sloops used for lobster and conch fishing. Manatees, Rays, Sharks, Dolphins, and other wildlife will also be clearly visible in the clear Caribbean waters.

Scheduled tours leave on select days from Belize City Municipal Airstrip and San Pedro. Private Charters are always available.

So before you dive it, call us and go see it.

© Tony Rath • trphoto.com

Jungle Water Farm

Lodge

We are a luxury jungle lodge with an organic farm and nature reserve.

Join us for incredible fishing, birding, hiking, scuba, and more. Our prime location on the Rio Grande River offers easy access to among the best Permit flats in the Caribbean.

We offer hands-on courses in chocolate making from fresh cacao - and other unique culinary programs. Our restaurant and rum bar has the freshest ingredients in all Belize - you’ll taste the difference!

EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITIES AT WWW.BELCAMPOBZ.COM

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Wilson Road, Punta Gorda, Toledo District, Belize Central America Telephone: +1 888 299 9940 Email: info@belcampobz.com

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Chan Chich

Orange Walk District

La Milpa

r e s e r v a t i o n s @ t r o p i c a i r. c o m Te l : ( + 5 0 1 ) 2 2 6 - 2 6 2 6 (+501) 622-5857

Cerros

Corozal

Belmopan

Altun Ha

Belize District

Orange Walk

(Municipal Airport)

Belize City

Chetumal

Corozal District

Belize City Int’l Airport

Lamanai

Cuello

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Santa Rita

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Destination Map

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Guatemala

C to

Mexico

Turneffe Atoll

Caye Caulker

San Pedro

Santa Cruz

G U L F O F MEXICO

Lighthouse Reef

•Belmopan

• San Pedro

Cancun •Cozumel

Tikal

Maya Site Highways & Roads Rivers Reef Current Route Future Route

City / Town

Tropic Air Destination

Legend

Connect in Flores to TAG Codeshare Flights to Guatemala City

Flores

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Uxbenka

Lubaantun

San Antonio

Nim Li Punit

To l e d o District

Caracol

Cayo District

(Benque Viejo, Maya Flats, Chaa Creek, Melchor)

San Ignacio

Guatemala

Punta Gorda

Mango Creek

Stann Creek District

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Placencia

Hopkins

Dangriga Glover’s Reef

Roatan

Honduras

Bay Islands, Honduras

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Placencia

by Jo Sayer

Belize has many fantastic beach destinations, but one of the most popular is actually on the mainland. Known as Placencia, it is located on a narrow peninsula, approximately 160 miles south of Belize City.

This peninsula, which is only a mile at it widest point, stretches 16 miles north to south, and showcases some of the best sandy beaches in the country.

On the eastern side, the pristine blue waters of the Barrier Reef stretch as far as the eye can see. On the western side, the beautiful mangrove lined Placencia Lagoon transitions to the Maya Mountains in the distance.

This offers a fantastic backdrop for sensational sunsets, and is home to a wealth of Belizean birdlife, manatees and a plethora of coastal creatures.

The Peninsula begins at a small village named Riversdale. As one moves south, the area is dotted with hotels and restaurants located on both sides of 24

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the road. Maya Beach, situated approximately half way along the peninsula, is the “next village�. It has upscale resorts, world class restaurants, private houses and even a bowling alley, catering to a growing tourism industry.

Seine Bight, a few miles away, has a very different feel. The village is largely traditional Garifuna, and the pulse of the culture here is strong. The best day to experience this is on November 19th, when Garifuna Settlement Day is celebrated. Here you can listen to traditional drumming and sample sere or hudut, and other delicious dishes from the Garinagu people.

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The main village of Placencia is at the southern tip of the peninsula. The name originates from the Spanish who named it Punta Placentia which actually translates to Pleasant Point. It was originally a small fishing settlement, and the fishing co-operative there is a testament to the importance of this industry, even to this day.

Village life centers around the narrow “Main Street� which, at four feet wide and approximately 4,000 feet long, and according to the Guinness Book of Records, is the narrowest street in the world. Along it, you will find an eclectic blend of restaurants offering anything from the iconic Belizean stewed chicken, rice and beans, to Spanish tapas and delicious Italian gelato.

Much like up the coast, there is a strong local cultural component here, and festivals are an important part of life. The famous Placencia Peninsula Arts Festival is held here in February. It attracts artists from all over Belize, who come to exhibit their works of art under the shade of the palm trees. In June, Placencia celebrates the opening of the lobster season with one of the best LobT H E

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sterfest celebrations of the country. All over town, one can smell lobster cooking, and on the weekend of the event, it is possible to sample all of it from the vendors who have set up stalls along the beach. Fishing, diving, snorkeling and kayaking are all popular throughout the peninsula. The diving and snorkeling is world class, uncrowded and spectacular. From March to June, during the full moon, the area of Gladden Spit east of Placencia, becomes home to large spawning aggregations of snapper which, in turn, attracts the largest fish in the sea, the Whale Shark. Placencia is famous for Whale Shark watching, diving, and snorkeling.

Placencia is a great starting point to visit some of many offshore Cayes or islands dotting the Barrier reef. Laughing Bird Caye with its National Park, Silk Caye and French Louie are all a boat ride away and there are several yacht chartering companies based here that offer bareboat and skippered sailing trips to the Southern Cayes. It is also a great base for inland adventures. The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary is within easy driving distance and makes for a popular day trip. The Maya sites of Nim Ni Punit and Lubantuun are also within easy reach.

Whether your vacation is filled with activity, or spent relaxing with a book and a cold Belikin on a beach in a hammock, Placencia offers something for everyone and Tropic Air can take you there.

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The Tree Nation

by Jo Sayer

Belize’s history is tied to two very important trees, the Mahogany and the Logwood. Logwood is largely responsible for the original settlement of the colony of British Honduras that later became Belize.

The Spanish arrived in the mid sixteenth century and learned about the tree and its properties from the indigenous Maya. British pirates then plundered these Spanish ships, unaware of the Logwood’s value, burning the wood they found on board. However, they soon discovered that the heart of the logwood produced a vivid red color that could be used to create black, grey, purple and red dyes. At that time in Europe, dye was difficult to find and expensive, and as such the realm of royalty and the higher echelons of the clergy. These Baymen, as these pirates became known, quickly realized the value of this commodity and started to ship it to Europe. The logwood which grew near rivers and lagoons was cut with axes, the bark removed and the tree chopped into 30

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pieces. It was then transported along the rivers in flat bottomed canoes known as pitpans to a central storage place at the entrance to the Belize River where merchants would negotiate a price for it.

At its peak, the price of logwood was as much as BZ$400 dollars per ton. As demand increased, the Baymen, who had originally cut the trees themselves, started to import slaves from Africa to do the work. Over the years, the Baymen and slaves intermixed and married which gave birth to the nation that is modern day Belize. In the late 18th century the price of logwood dropped due to a surplus of the dye in Europe and eventually demand dwindled with the introduction of other dyes both natural and synthetic.

As the demand for logwood decreased, the Baymen sought other means to survive through another commodity to trade: the Mahogany tree. In the eighteenth century, Mahogany was coveted by British craftsmen, since the French Walnut, which was fashionable at the time, was becoming rare. It was treasured for its color variation, grain and strength and exported to Britain, where it was used to make luxury furniture.

By the middle of the century mahogany superseded logwood as the most important and valuable export of the colony. Unlike the logwood tree, this tree grew further inland and was harder to find.

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was hard and the conditions in the jungle, where it was located, were harsh. Once again, the Baymen turned slaves to do all the intensive labor. Camps were set up once a tree was found with up to 50 slaves in each. Conditions in these camps were notoriously appalling and these slaves had to deal with mosquitoes and crocodile infested waters among other things. There was obviously no modern machinery to do the cutting. It took two men operating an 8 foot saw on a wooden platform, known as the barbecue, suspended 12 feet off the ground, to cut the massive trunks. The logs were transported via oxen drawn wagons to the river and floated down stream, usually during rainy season, to a “boom� and then onward the mouth of Belize River where they were exported. The village of Burrell Boom is an example of one of these. Iron chains were extended across the river in order to trap the logs. These can still be seen displayed in the village center.

The importance of logwood and mahogany to the development of Belize is acknowledged by their presence on both the Belize flag and its currency. The flag shows two logwood cutters carrying axes beneath the Mahogany tree, with the words Sub Umbra Floreo (Beneath the shade I flourish). Their importance is also recognized in the National anthem and the fact that Mahogany is the National Tree of Belize. Today you can still find both trees in the Belize jungle and mahogany is still used to build houses and furniture within the country.

However unfortunately most of the large old-growth trees have disappeared. Mahogany is endangered 2 M ile s N o r t h @ G r a n d C a r ib e B e lize and Belize works hard to protect its remaining trees and to harvest them sustainably.

Ambergris Caye, Belize

+501 226-4001 reser vations@evooeurobistro.com

www.evooeurobistro.com

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Above & Below

by Rachel Graham PhD, MarAlliance

Whale sharks relish a gastronomic tour of the Western Caribbean

© Rachel Graham/MarAlliance

As I ease into the water from the small boat, I am disoriented at first, surrounded by a net of bubbles, find my bearings in the blue, I see the animal I have been looking for. Long – oh ever so long – it sports a wide head, small side-placed eyes and skin a deep grey brown covered in a mantle of bright white spots and stripes. With balletic grace, the seven meter long whale shark gently turns on a dime to come and take a closer look at me. After 20 years of working with the world’s largest fish and swimming with many hundreds during the course of research around the globe, every encounter is as wonderful as the first. Gentle, inquisitive and imposing, these behemoths, who range throughout tropical seas, are true ambassadors for our oceans and our beleaguered sharks.

I started working with whale sharks in Belize in 1998, and quickly found that there was little known about a fish that can reach an estimated total length of 20m. But this was about to change when fishers interviewed for the project “Voice of the Fishermen” noted an unusually high number of mutton snappers captured full of roe around the March to June full moon periods in Belize’s Gladden Spit, a jutting dogleg along the country’s barrier reef… and that the fish were generally accompanied by a number of very large sharks. Not sure what to expect, we decided to investigate and dove in during the late afternoon several days after the full moon of April to discover swirlT H E

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ing maelstroms of large Cubera snapper, tube like aggregations of dog snappers and large diffuse schools of mutton snappers. The eye-popping scene was topped by the arrival of at least 20 whale sharks to feed on the spawning snappers. These © Rachel Graham/MarAlliance incredible sights set the stage for my long term whale shark study with local fishers whose questions guided research: how many sharks are there? Are they at Gladden to spawn? Do they live there year round or only visit seasonally? If they don’t stay, then where do they go? How big do they get?

Fast forward to 2017 and we now have many answers. Although whale sharks tend to be solitary, they will aggregate to feed, often at a predictable times and sites. Similar to many shark and rays species, whale sharks segregate out by sex and size and curiously, most of the known aggregations are comprised primarily of juvenile males with lengths of about 6-7 m. Specifically, we identified at least 106 individual animals in Belize by 2003 thanks to their unique spot pattern on the side of their bodies that was one of the original contributors to the large global citizen science photo identification program for whale sharks (www.whaleshark.org). We have now estimated that the region has a population of 2167 animals. This may sound like a lot of whale sharks and yet in human equivalent terms, that number wouldn’t even fill a cinema complex.

Whale sharks are fairly omnivorous and target different foods at different sites. At Gladden Spit they appear to feed primarily on fish eggs. As they move to Honduras, they focus primarily on baitfish, and in Mexico feast on zooplankton and the eggs of the little tunny.

What our satellite and acoustic tagging and tracking revealed were clear migratory pathways or a veritable gastronomic “Tour du Western Caribbean” that linked the three feeding sites in Belize, Honduras, and Mexico (very similar to Tropic Air’s flight routes). Tagging 36

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also highlighted occasional forays to sites further afield including Cuba, Nicaragua and the US. Other colleagues’ results revealed travel as far away as the mid-Atlantic ridge. Other research revealed that whale sharks may live to beyond 100 years and only reach sexual maturity around 7.5 meters for males and close to 9 meters for females, which may equate 20-30 years of age.

Much of the research conducted in the region and ensuing tourism interest led to the declaration of protected areas for the whale sharks. In 2000, Gladden Spit was declared as a marine reserve, and the shark, a protected species, due to its non-consumptive economic value. Yet despite a host of management and protective measures, whale shark numbers are down in several countries compared to records from several years ago. Whale sharks move to where they find food, and as this dries up, or shift locations, with warming seas, aggregation numbers and site preferences are changing. And even at this site, numbers are down from several years ago. Declines have led to whale sharks being up-listed from Vulnerable to now

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Endangered to Extinction, which suggests that broad threats from shipping collisions and fisheries (in the Indo-Pacific primarily it is thought)– as both bycatch and targeted species – are impacting populations. © Rachel Graham/MarAlliance

Yet even if seeking out whale sharks may not be as predictable an occurrence as in years gone by, should you be fortunate enough to swim with one, it’s a life-changing and awe inspiring experience that you will never forget. To read some of our publications on whale sharks and spawning aggregations at Gladden Spit along with the Voice of the Fishermen, please visit www.maralliance.org/publications. If you want to contribute to the global citizen science effort on whale sharks, please upload your pictures to www.whaleshark.org.

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Our Fleet TO KNOW CHRIST AND TO MAKE CHRIST KNOWN Biblically sound messages delivered with a healthy dose of humor and creativity.

Cessna 208 Caravan Passengers: 14 Number in Fleet: 11

SAN PEDRO, PARADISE THEATRE

across the bridge

SUNDAY 8:30 AND 10:30 AM. “KIDS PLANET” FOR KIDS

facebook.com/sagebrush.bl

belize@sagebrush.cc

Gippsland GA8 Airvan Passengers: 6 Number in Fleet: 2

Cessna 182/172 Passengers: 3 Number in Fleet: 3

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Final Thoughts

Our parents always said to not ask a question that we didn’t want to know the answer to. “So, when are you planning your next trip to Belize?” they jokingly asked as we embraced at the Dallas airport. Slowly their expressions changed as we started sharing our plans, adventures already scribbled in detail on a drink napkin. We were going back, to dive the Blue Hole, to explore the southern part of the country, and finally to lose ourselves in search of the jaguar deep in the jungle.

Perhaps we should have let them enjoy us being home. Let them share their favorite sunburn treatment, before telling them we would be gone again soon, but we couldn’t help ourselves.

We had discovered Belize, the country with so much to do. Our spirit had been satisfied, but only a little. We had to go back, and perhaps even one day, make it our home. We were in love.

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+501-226-5096 or +501-678-5096 WWW.PORTOFINO.BZ