Belize's stone crab season is officially underway. The Fisheries Department has confirmed that harvesting of the Florida Stone Crab (Menippe mercenaria) runs from October 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, under a special licensing regime governed by the Fisheries Resources Act and Statutory Instrument No. 108 of 2022.
For licence holders, the rules are strict. Fishing must happen only within the zones written into each licence, and boat captains are responsible for making sure everyone on board is properly licensed for their vessel's assigned areas. Every trip needs an official catch logbook, submitted to a fisheries officer at the end of each outing. And there's a hard deadline looming: every special-licence vessel must have a fully working Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) installed by October 22, 2026 — miss that date and the special licence is revoked on the spot.
To make the VMS rollout easier, department technicians are heading to Caye Caulker Village for two installation windows: October 21 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, and October 22 from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. Fishers with special licences need to show up with their vessels at the designated times.
Anyone spotted breaking these conditions faces offence-specific charges, and repeat or serious violations can mean suspension or loss of a fisher folk licence altogether. The public is being asked to help too — illegal fishing activity can be reported to the Fisheries Department on 224-4552 or via fisheries_department@fisheries.gov.bz.
Why should a traveller care? If you're heading to Belize's islands this winter — Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, Placencia — stone crab is one of the season's great local treats, and October to June is exactly when you'll find it on menus. Knowing the season is regulated, logged and monitored tells you the crab claws on your plate are coming from a managed fishery, which matters for both sustainability and quality. If you're travelling around the installation dates in late October, expect a bit of paperwork buzz around the fishing docks on Caye Caulker — and maybe strike up a conversation with the fishers who supply the island's restaurants.
The June 30, 2027 close is worth remembering too: seafood-focused trips to Belize are best timed for the cooler, drier months between December and April, when the fishery is in full swing and the islands are at their best.
