Fishers in Placencia, Belize use community as a way to adapt to environmental and economic challenges to their profession. While the fishers traditionally gather large fish for sale, today one of their prime income sources is chartering tours for tourists in addition to providing fish for the community.

Ian Westby has been fishing with his family for years, learning most of what he knows from his father, James Westby.

“When I quit school, he [James Westby] basically let me know I had to work, that’s how I learned the ocean. I don’t remember learning to swim. We just used to run in the water and just go.” – Ian Westby

“Fishing has changed a lot since my day when I used to fish a lot. When I was growing up, you would go out in one day...three of us and we would harvest probably a thousand conch in half a day and now if you go out in that same time, you’d probably catch a hundred, two hundred.” – James Westby

Richard Rivera and George Murphy, both 21, bonded over fishing together, skipping school just to go fish. They both pride themselves in being the few young fishers to take the profession seriously.

“[Fishing] is a good thing to learn and then you will be better because when you get older and get a boat and do your own stuff, you can keep it going.” - George Murphy

“We’re the ones that actually feed the village. People down here buy their fish to eat… Even the restaurants, they buy fish from us. They need fish to sell.” – Richard Rivera