Building a Healthier Bay Islands, Together

This year has been a busy one for BICA's community development work across the Bay Islands. From fishing tournaments to jewelry workshops to a clean water project, our teams in Utila, Roatan, and Guanaja have been out in the field, working side by side with fishers, families, and local leaders. Here's a look at what we've accomplished together.

Fishing for Life: Four Campaigns, One Mission

Our "Fishing for Life" campaign is all about supporting the people who depend on the sea for their livelihood, while also protecting the marine resources that make that livelihood possible. This year we ran four campaigns across the islands: two in Utila (Utila Town and the Cays), one in Roatan (Punta Gorda), and one in Guanaja (Savannah Bight). Altogether, 356 artisanal fishers from communities across the Bay Islands took part.

Utila

The idea for our first stop actually came from the fishers themselves. During conversations in Utila Town, they suggested a bay clean-up competition, so that's exactly what we organized. Together, the community collected 1,689.24 pounds of waste from the bay.

For the second leg of the campaign, we headed to the Cays, where we hosted a fishing tournament with five different fish categories. Winners in both Utila events went home with coolers and basic fishing gear to help them keep doing what they do best. Throughout it all, we kept pushing three simple messages: I Participate, I Respect, and I Register.

Roatan

In Roatan, the campaign took the form of a two-day fishing tournament held May 28 and 29 in Punta Gorda, organized with support from the local Patronato. The goal was to bring people together around responsible fishing, marine conservation, and community tradition, and it worked. Fifteen fishers competed, and more than 60 community members turned out for the surrounding activities.

Things kicked off on May 28 with registration and a movie night under the stars, featuring the documentaries Negra Soy, directed by Laura Bermudez, and La Serpiente de Shelmeca, produced by Thau Productions. The next day brought out representatives from the Santos Guardiola Municipality along with kids and adults from the community, who joined in on educational games and interactive activities. Awards went to the fishers who landed the largest catch and the highest number of fish, based on criteria set before the tournament began.

Guanaja

May was also a big month for our Guanaja chapter, where the Fishing for Life campaign in Savannah Bight unfolded in two stages: a licensing day for artisanal fishers, followed by the "Capturing the Emotion" fishing tournament.

DIGEPESCA, the government authority overseeing fisheries, was on hand for the licensing day to support fishers through the process. A half-day session was also held in Armadores to reach even more fishers who needed to regularize their activities. By the end of the campaign, 162 people had participated, and more than 148 fishing licenses were issued to men and women working in the sector. It's a real step forward for organizing the fishing community and encouraging practices that keep the industry sustainable for the long run.

Through campaigns like this one, BICA keeps creating spaces where community members, government agencies, and conservation groups can work toward the same goal: healthier seas and a stronger fishing sector.

Turning a Problem into a Product: Lionfish Jewelry Workshops

Lionfish are beautiful to look at but terrible for our reefs. They're an invasive species with no natural predators here, and they're voracious eaters of native fish. One of the ways BICA fights back is by teaching community members to turn lionfish into something useful, and even beautiful, through jewelry making.

Utila

In April, 20 women in Utila took part in a lionfish jewelry workshop, learning to transform the fish's spines and fins into earrings, bracelets, keychains, and necklaces. Beyond the craft itself, the workshop gave participants a new way to earn income while contributing to a healthier reef.

Roatan

Over in Roatan, the workshop ran June 27 and 28 at the Santos Guardiola Municipal Conference Hall in Oak Ridge, with support from the municipality's Tourism and Community Development Departments. BICA's technical team, joined by an independent facilitator, guided nine participants from Punta Gorda, Diamond Rock, Camp Bay, and Oak Ridge through two days of hands on learning.

By the end, everyone had picked up the skills to craft jewelry from lionfish parts, walking away with both a new trade and a shared sense of accomplishment.

Guanaja

Guanaja's workshop brought together women from El Cayo, Pelican Reef, El Bight, and Vista Hermosa, led by instructor Maria Carcamo. Over two days, participants learned about the biology and impact of lionfish, how to safely handle them, and the finer points of the craft itself: working with resin, mixing materials, setting spines and fins into molds, and finishing each piece.

By the end, 11 participants had built real technical and creative skills, producing earrings, pendants, bracelets, necklaces, and keychains. Everyone left with a diploma and a starter kit of materials to keep creating on their own. It was a meaningful step toward economic empowerment, especially for the women involved, giving them tools to build something they can actually sell.

BICA, continues to weave together conservation, education, and economic opportunity through initiatives like this one, all in service of controlling lionfish populations and protecting the reef.

Clean Water for Monte Fresco

In the community of Monte Fresco, BICA partnered with the Rotary Club of Roatan, the local Patronato, and community members to complete a project focused on drinking water access and hygiene, following the WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) framework.

Students from Bay Islands International School worked alongside residents of Monte Fresco and Sandy Bay to assemble and install Sawyer water filters throughout the community. Solar panels were also installed to power the pump that draws water from the community well, making that water source more sustainable for the long haul. On top of that, a wooden storage structure was built to help the community separate and properly dispose of solid waste.

April and May were dedicated to community education. From April 23 to 25, sessions covered access to drinking water, how to use and maintain Sawyer filters, and responsible water use. From May 7 to 9, the focus shifted to sanitation and hygiene. Around 60 people took part in these sessions in total.

The project wrapped up with a closing meeting where the filters, solar setup, and waste system were officially handed over to the community. It was a moment to recognize everyone who made it happen: the residents of Monte Fresco, the Patronato, the Rotary Club of Roatan, BICA, and every partner who contributed along the way. Thanks to their effort, families in Monte Fresco now have better access to safe water and the tools to keep their community healthy for years to come.

None of this happens without the fishers, families, students, and volunteers who show up, again and again, to protect the islands they call home.

Thank you to everyone who made this year's community development work possible.

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