Ramsammy warns fishermen of the costly effects of overfishing

Jul 13, 2014 News

…industry records growth for past six years

By Leon Suseran
Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, has warned about the costly effects of overfishing in Guyana’s waters. He said that overfishing is expressed in the fact that many fishermen have told him that they now double the time they spend at sea, “to get the same catch as they used to before.”
Ramsammy was addressing fisherfolk at the World Fisherfolk Day celebrations in Berbice recently. “This is what you make your wealth and livelihood from, therefore it must be uppermost in your mind to protect,” Ramsammy added.
He also urged that Guyana’s water resources be better managed so that growth and development can be furthered. Guyana’s continental shelf, he added, boasts some 49,000 square kilometers, giving us the indication of the richness of our water resources.
Notwithstanding the challenges such as piracy, the work of the industry must go on, he noted. Our fight against piracy needs to be strengthened. “The police and Coast Guards’ roles in fighting piracy needs to be strengthened.”
Piracy
The participation of fisherfolk in the fight against piracy must also be improved, he noted. “I concede that the police and Coast Guard can do more…but we will be foolish if we don’t also acknowledge that we have to get our own house in order, before we demand others to put their houses in order, because the truth is, that there is involvement of fisherfolks in the piracy problem that we have.”
Over the past years, there have been countless attacks on fishermen. Many of the attacks were carried out by pirates armed with guns and cutlasses, sometimes in broad daylight.
Minister Ramsammy said that Guyana has a very “rigid law” against piracy, “but it is not being implemented effectively.”
“As we prepare this industry for an even more glorious future, I urge that some of these things be tackled.” He suggested a waiver of duty on fuel, a proposal to which the President and Government are not opposed, he added.
“In fact, the President of Guyana is a firm supporter of the proposal to waive duty on fuel for fishing—the problem is the public to effect a programme that will ensure that the waiver only applies to fishing; when it was tried in a small way, within 24 hours the system was broken! The same fishermen who asked for it saw another opportunity to make money!”
Traceability of fish
“The fishing regulation will prevent anyone from bringing in fish products from any other country unless it comes through the normal channels, with all the regulations. Therefore, if there is fish in the market that cannot demonstrate that traceability, it will be seized, even though that person selling it may not be the guilty party.
He said that it is not his desire as Minister of Agriculture to make life difficult for anyone, “but we have got to make standards to which we all agree to live by—that is the new world we live in!”
The entire industry, he added, would not be put at risk because of the carelessness of certain persons or groups of persons.
Though the Cooperatives play a very important part in the fishing industry, in effect they “have not worked.” Where Co- ops are not meeting the needs of the fishermen and are not helping the fishermen, “we will intervene with other arrangements,” he noted.
He said that he and the Chief Fisheries Officer (CFO) are currently engaged in discussions about one particular Co-op in Essequibo, which is not meeting the needs of the fishermen. “And I am using this occasion to give public notice that the private arrangements in place in Region Two are not working—those arrangements are not ensuring that every fisherman’s need is met.”
Guyana is the only country in Caricom whose fishing industry has recorded constant growth over the past 16 years.”
Meanwhile, the Chief Fisheries Officer, Mr. Denzel Roberts, compared the industry, then and now, by adding how congested the seas and oceans have become with fisherfolk all trying to get fish. “So we recognize that Guyana has an adequate supply of fish, but we must realize that if we don’t take care of it, we will lose it.
“We want to ensure that fishing is here for not today and tomorrow, but for very far into the future.” He expressed the hope that there would be 100 per cent of fishermen who are licensed; as opposed to the current 40 per cent figure of those with licensed.

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Ramsammy warns fishermen of the costly effects of overfishing

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