A European chef, tour guide and paramedic have been in Belize for six months, but when they headed out on a fishing trip last Friday, they found themselves in a conservation zone and in trouble with the law. Thirty-eight years old Peter Gunwesen and Philip Baudu as well as forty year old Bertrand Gauje, were taken to court on Wednesday and were initially charged for Fishing in a Marine Reserve near Caye Caulker. The charge against Peter was withdrawn because it is believed that he was taken on a tour by the other two men. Meanwhile, Bertran and Philip were ready to plead guilty, but their attorney, Said Musa pointed out that the charge against them should have been for Fishing in a Conservation Zone. Musa also argued that there were no buoys or signs in the area and that the men did not have any fish in their possession when they were detained.

Magistrate Sharon Frazer dismissed the charge against the men based on Musa’s arguments, but also because she noted that the accused men are first time offenders and they are foreigners who probably didn’t know that they were in a protected area. Magistrate Frazer said that the offense warranted a warning, rather than charges. After being freed of the charges, the European nationals told our court reporter that they plan to leave Belize within three weeks.

Channel 5

BS! they know exactly what they're doing, do it all the time.

hey anybody....lets crack down on the real crimes....if these gentlemen do it again then ok...fine no problem...but honestly belize has bigger problems then a couple of people fishing in a conservation area.

why doesn't someone actually ask them what happened in court?

I was commenting on the fact that they are portraited as poor foreigners that were innocently fishing in a protected area, while they all live on Caye Caulker for quite some time and know exactly where you can fish and where not. They just decide over and over again to fish in the protected areas because the fish are bigger there. Of course there's worse crimes, but personally I think this is a serious crime too. As educated people they should know that those restrictions are not just there to annoy them.

anybody, I agree with you

Our fish are the livelihood of our communities and these laws need to be respected by all. Its ok to make a mistake but not to deliberately fish in protected areas. As usual the prosecution was not up to the job if the posts I have read are true representation of what happened.

excuse me...but i think for us the residence of Caye Caulker it is a problem.

I agree...they know exactly what they where doing!

Ignorance is not an excuse. At a minimum they should have been fined and used the money and their own time to emplace bouys to mark the preserve.

"to emplace" buoys to mark the preserve that the marine reserve boats had IN THEIR BOATS when the boys were apprehended?