Latest update May 5th, 2026 12:35 AM
Latest News
- Soldier shot in river ambush
- Five years later Govt. still to settle US$214M audit dispute with Exxon
- Oil prices jump 6% as Iran sets UAE oil port ablaze, strikes vessels in Strait of Hormuz
- U.S. and Iran escalate attacks in Strait of Hormuz
- Guyana defends sovereignty at ICJ against Venezuela’s claims
Pirate attack leads to fish shortage in Essequibo
Ever since the recent pirate attack off the Pomeroon coastline, there continues to be a scarcity of
Salina Persaud
seafood in the Essequibo market. Some people are also exhibiting some reluctance to consume fish and shrimp because of the bloated bodies that floated ashore.
Fisheries Officer, Mr. Mc Lennan, said that the scarcity of seafood in Essequibo has repeated itself one year to the date when fishermen suffered a similar pirate attack in the Atlantic.
Mc Lennan explained that the scarcity may likely last until April. He said that because of the recent pirate attack, fishermen, especially those on the Coast, some of whom were attacked for the second and third time, would have incurred additional financial expenses.
He argued that because engines are expensive, many fishermen are indebted to banks and other business entities.
Mc Lennan said that while shrimp in particular feed on dead bodies, many people have not displayed a reluctance to consume fish, but are said to be refraining from shrimp.
While the scarcity of fish remains prevalent on the Coast, catfish is said to cost an additional $40 per a pound.
Meanwhile, 70-year-old Salina Persaud, of Cotton Field, Essequibo Coast, who worked as a fisherwoman, for some 25 years, alongside her husband, Thakur Persaud, said the various agencies associated with the fishing populace need advanced technology to address the sore issue of piracy.
Mrs. Persaud, who started out as a clerk at the Lima Cooperative, said that for the 24 years she worked alongside her husband, venturing into the Demerara River and setting the Chinese seine, she never experienced any pirate.
Instead, Mrs. Persaud, said that she loved venturing into the sea, doing what she best loved.
The mother of seven said that she would leave her young children with her in-laws in the evenings, and would be in the river until 5am the following morning, when she would return home.
Mrs. Persaud who said she knows how to pilot her own boat, said she had many experiences having to rescue persons from time to time. In one case, she recalled having to rescue her youngest son after the boat they were traveling in drifted away. “I love being in the rough waters, rather than being on the road.”
Mrs. Persaud has thirty-one grand children.
While she and her husband have retired, her son, Sanjay Persaud continues in the business. Mrs. Persaud was the recipient of a National Award many years ago.
Share this:
Discover more from Kaieteur News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.