Fishing is a basic characteristic of the Belizean way of life and commercial fishing is one of the major contributors to the Belizean economy.

As far back as can be remembered fishermen in this country had difficulty in getting their produce to the market and even after doing so there was a problem of getting a good price for their products.

In the latter part of the 1950's two local companies owned by foreign interests were purchasing lobster tails at 40 cents per pound and whole lobster at 16 cents per pound in Belize from fishermen, and exported that commodity to the United States.

In the early 1960's some local fishermen felt the need for and proceeded with a plan to establish their own fishing processing plant and marketing operation. That need took root when they learnt that the buyers of their fish products at the time were not paying fair prices. The buyers obtained their products at very low prices - prices mentioned above - and were selling those same products at very high prices - $2.40 per pound - realizing for themselves exorbitant profits. This was proven to be a fact when fishermen's new fish processing plant and marketing operation, although inefficient, immediately realized significant savings allowing the fishermen to double their individual income.

They accomplished this through the cooperative form of business organization. The fishermen from Caye Caulker were the pioneers of the fishing cooperatives in Belize. They thought that they could do better if they exercise control over the marketing of their own products.

On the 5th of September 1960, the Caye Caulker fishermen group as a business was registered under the name of Northern Fishermen Cooperative Society Ltd.

On the 23rd of June 1962, a group of fishermen at Placencia was registered as The Placencia producers Cooperative Society Ltd. The following year, the fishermen of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, desirous of having a cooperative also, processed the registration of their organization Caribeña Producers Cooperative Society Ltd, on 1st March 1963.

Lobster prices received by cooperatives in 1964 had increased remarkably over the previous year and so did production. Lobster was the cooperative's main commodity. 1964 was a good year for the three fishing cooperatives.

The action of those three groups of fishermen had resulted in their incomes increasing substantially.

National Fishermen Producers Cooperative Society Ltd. was registered on 29th April 1966, and Sarteneja Fishermen Cooperative Society Ltd. on 2nd July 1968. The Latter is no longer operational most of its members have joined either Northern or National Cooperatives.

Fish processing plants in those days were very expensive facilities to establish and operate. Today they are considerably more expensive. It was only possible for the fishermen to establish their plants by pooling their resources and by working together. Their principal collateral or guarantee for financing was their combined productions. Although legislation existed, which provided for use of other forms of business organizations, they preferred the cooperative way.

All those fishermen cooperatives prospered and there seemed to be scope for their expansion and diversification.

The government agency for cooperative development, the Department of Cooperatives and Credit Unions, showed the fishermen the way and led them to the establishment of their fishing organization.

In 1970 the five fishing cooperatives mentioned above joined together and formed a fishermen cooperative association. All other fishing cooperatives were registered afterwards. They however, did not join the association.

They are:

• Southern Fishermen Cooperative Society Ltd. (1971)
• Central Fishermen Cooperative Society Ltd. (1973)
• Western Fresh Water Fishermen Cooperative Society Ltd. (1974)
• Barranco Fishermen Cooperative Society Ltd. (1980)
• Hopkins Fishermen Cooperative Society Ltd. (1983)
• Toledo North Fishermen Cooperative Society Ltd (1986)
• Independence Fishermen Cooperative Society Ltd. (1985)

There are plans today to help most of these disadvantaged groups. All of them have been invited to join the B.F.C.A.