And in other news, you've probably eaten more fish over this past weekend than you will for the rest of the year, but do you know what kind of fish you were having? How well do you examine the fish you're buying to ensure that you're actually getting that grouper or snapper you paid for?

Well, for one chef in San Pedro, she was appalled to find that she had been sent triggerfish in place of grouper. Not only did the vendor she bought from commit fish fraud, but triggerfish is a protected species and it is illegal to catch them.

But that's not the worst part of the chef's discovery. Courtney Menzies has this story.

Fish - it was on everyone's menu this weekend and last week, the Conch Shell Bay Fish Market was swarming with Belizeans trying to get their last minute Good Friday Fish.

And even on the islands, restaurateurs were paying top dollar for fish, knowing that a flood of tourists and locals was headed their way.

But one celebrated chef on San Pedro, Jenny Staines, made a harrowing discovery - triggerfish made to pass off as grouper, with the skin tag fastened on with glue!

Voice of: Jenny Staines
"This is a trigger fish, and there's the patch on the opposite side of where it should be, and it's stuck on - look at it - with Crazy Glue. This is unreal, people."

By law, fillet is supposed to carry this skin tag that identifies the fish, but Chef Jenny's vast experience with seafood prompted her to take a second look.

And the outreach and project director at Oceana Belize said it's not the first time they've heard of something like this.

Jacinta Gomez, Outreach & Project Director, Oceana Belize
"It's a very unfortunate incident, not only because it's fraudulent but triggerfish is also a protected species so it's illegal to capture triggerfish, they are very important specie for the health of the coral reef system but unfortunately we are aware that things like this have been happening for some time now. That's actually where the Fish Right Eat Right program and the vision for the program came about working with partners like WCS and the fisheries department and of course chefs like Chef Jenny Staines and Chef Sean Kuylen to really work with people that purchasing fin fish on a larger scale like the restauranteurs out on the island and educate them on what the regulations are and things they should be looking out for when purchasing fin fish like the two inch skin tag that should be on all fillet fish by law."

And Chef Jenny was also surprised to find another prohibited fish in her kitchen - parrot fish. She speculated that due to the high demand for fish, coupled with the scarcity of the once abundant resource, that some fishers are "killing anything."

And that's why Oceana Belize is advising consumers to inspect what they're buying.

Jacinta Gomez, Outreach & Project Director, Oceana Belize
"It's definitely important for not only the purchasers and the fishers but also the end consumers to ask questions about where their fish is being caught. We know especially with the Easter weekend that just passed, we know a lot of fish is being bought and sold so now more than ever it's really important for the end consumers to be vigilant so that we can avoid situations like this where fish fraud is happening."

"I think it's important, as part of Fish Right Eat Right we do education one and one as well as workshops with not just the fishers, the restaurateurs but with the general public, we have some ads currently running that feature Chef Sean Kuylen actually showing you some incidences of people going out to Conch Shell Bay and nurse shark is there."

"I think more and more, especially with tourism increasing now, I think more people are becoming more cognisant of where their food comes from and wanting to be sure that it's being sourced responsibly."

And the Fish Right Eat Right website can also fill you in on what species are prohibited - like angel fish, marine turtles, and dolphins - and how to identify what you're buying.

Gomez also said they encourage consumers to report these incidences when they come across them.

Channel 7