‘Fisherfolk urged to brace for changing times’ 

Apr 07, 2025 News

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…told by Min. Mustapha not to depend on one activity to support their livelihoods

Kaieteur News- Amid claims of a decline in catches here, fishermen in the Corentyne have been urged to brace themselves for the changing times in the industry.

This message was delivered to them by Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha during the launch a brackish water shrimp programme in Region Six on Saturday.

The programme, similar to what is already in place on the Corentyne Coast, will see groups of fisherfolk from Sheet Anker / Fort Ordinance and areas along the Corentyne Coast benefiting from assistance from the Ministry of Agriculture to establish ponds to rear the high-demand shrimp, the Ministry of Agriculture said in a press release. Mustapha while officially launching the programme in Fort Ordinance and Albion, said that the initiative aims to provide additional avenues for sustainable income for fisherfolk.

“Times are advancing, and fisherfolk cannot depend on one activity to support their livelihoods. As Minister, I am prepared to work with you to go into other sustainable activities. We are not telling you to leave fishing, we are developing programmes to help you to expand and diversify your activities. So, when you are experiencing low catches, you can engage in alternative activities to supplement your income,”
Mustapha was quoted in a Ministry of Agriculture release saying.

He added: “We can put you in groups based on your geographical location and work along with you to develop ponds for brackish water shrimp. This region has been used as a pilot project for us, where we were able to increase brackish water shrimp production from 10,000 kg to about 100,000 kg monthly. This increase is because of the infrastructure we’ve put in place and the new methods we are adopting. We will work along with the groups to locate the land and get the programme going. I’ll make the machine and other materials available so that this project can commence within a month,” Minister Mustapha explained.

Consecutive studies conducted by ExxonMobil have warned of the imminent danger to marine species, including fish. Recently, this newspaper reported that another study done by Exxon confirmed that marine life, including fish, can be affected by poor water quality as a result of the planned petroleum activities. The EIA for the Hammerhead project- Exxon’s seventh development- states, “The project might affect marine fish due to the degradation of water quality as a result of the permitted vessel discharges described above, through acoustic impacts, through localized changes in distribution, and habitat usage due to altered bottom habitats and the presence of Project infrastructure, through attraction to artificial light, and through the potential to entrain (suck in) fish eggs and larvae at cooling water intakes.”

Discharge from the project includes ballast water, produced water (which, according to the study, may contain oil, grease, and other chemicals), domestic and sanitary waste (containing chlorine and bacteria), as well as bilge water (which may also contain oil and grease). These discharges are expected to be treated by ExxonMobil to meet certain standards prior to being discharged overboard.

 

This newspaper reported recently fishermen complaining bitterly about their inability to catch fish in the country’s waters. The fishermen said that they have been reeling in empty seines since 2020. Many have voiced their frustration through various media but as the situation worsens, they have taken matters into their own hands by posting TikTok videos of their hardships. One crew posted a video recently, complaining after they spent four days at sea and caught nothing. “I never see something like this in me born life,” one of the crew members said, while adding, “Ayo watch one (expletive) nah come pon this seine hay.” The men said that empty seines are out-weighing their catch for about three months now. “All them pickney (their children) hungry and suh now,” one fisherman said as he explained that catches are not sufficient to cover fuel costs for their boats. The government has, in the recent times, dismissed claims that the oil operation is contributing to the disappearance of fish from Guyana’s waters but the fishermen are not accepting that. “Eleven years me a wuk a sea now and me neva see something like a this, and dem a tell a we that oil nah do fish nothing, ayo watch (shows their empty seines) ayuh get sense, ayo watch”, a fisherman argued. The fishermen said that they have been complaining for years but their concerns are falling on deaf ears so they have decided to protest publicly, using the various social media platforms so that the masses can see their plight.

The Ministry of Finance, in its 2021 mid-year report, had claimed that chemical changes in Guyana’s coastal waters have caused a significant decrease in seafood production, specifically shrimp. It was stated that the significant reduction in the production of white belly shrimp was caused by a change in salinity of coastal waters. Salinity is the degree of saltiness of the water. In 2023, a report for one of ExxonMobil’s proposed well campaigns for the Stabroek Block sought to discredit the fishermen’s claim that oil operations are dwindling fish supply. The report had stated that Guyana has seen a declining trend since 2013, two years before the discovery of oil.

Minister Mustapha during his address at the launch of the programme Saturday said that when the government got into office, it began making budgetary allocations to develop the infrastructure to support the fisheries sector. He explained that to improve security standards for fisherfolk while at sea, the ministry also procured several Vessel Monitoring Devices (VMDs) as part of its monitoring strategy for artisanal fisheries in Guyana.  “We recognise the role every stakeholder in the agriculture sector plays. The fisherfolk have been making a valuable contribution to this country. When we got into government in 2020, we recognized that the fishing industry needed an impetus to push it. That’s why we increased budgetary allocations and gave every fisherman a grant. We then rolled out a programme to rehabilitate all of the major landing sites across the country. That is an ongoing programme. We installed lights and washroom facilities and built ramps and sheds for fisherfolk to ply their trade and mend their seine. Also, just before the last elections, we were seeing an increase in piracy. We also started to look at IUU fishing and began working closely with the Coast Guard and the Guyana Police Force to minimize these things. Last year, we procured 100 Vessel Monitoring Devices which are known to play a pivotal role in ensuring sustainable fishing practices. By equipping your vessels with these devices, we’re able to monitor fishing activities in real-time, with the hope of minimizing piracy as well as illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing,” he explained.

He also said that the government recognises the important role the fisherfolk play and has been putting systems in place to reduce input costs.  “We have approximately 18,000 persons employed directly and making a living from the fishing industry. Then, there are the people who benefit indirectly from the industry. We recognize that it’s important for us to continue developing this sector. It provides the cheapest form of protein for citizens. That’s why, in 2022, when there was an issue with catches, we engaged the FAO to conduct a study. That study revealed that climate change and the increase in freshwater affected the catch. We also recognize that the input for the industry, things like twine and so on, we worked to remove the taxes from those items,” he explained.  Close to 200 persons are expected to benefit from the fisherfolk brackish water shrimp programme.

 

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