Latest update March 21st, 2025 7:03 AM
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Authorities acquiring vessel to monitor Guyana’s fishing zone
As efforts continue to monitor the country’s marine resources, the Ministry of Agriculture’s (MOA) Department of Fisheries has
Chief Fisheries Officer, Denzil Roberts
budgeted $54M for the acquisition of a vessel to monitor boats fishing in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Chief Fisheries Officer, Denzil Roberts, told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the acquisition of the sea vessel later in 2018 will vastly enhance the agency’s ability to monitor local and international fishing vessels licensed to ply their trade in local waters.
“We were awarded some money to buy the boat and we are hoping to acquire that this year. If we were to get our own boat, we would be able to function more effective.”
In addition, the Chief Fisheries Officer said monitoring at sea is critical to local fishers.
“We will be able to go out and check the boats and see if they are registered. Also, for us to have access to the American market for shrimp or sea bob, we have to use the turtle excluder device to ensure turtles do not get caught in the nets. So, the Americans would come every two years sometimes once a year to inspect the vessel and also our records of how we inspect.”
Roberts added that the vessel will be instrumental since “one of the main concerns is that we don’t do at-sea boarding because they could go out there with their net intact but when they reach out there, we don’t know what’s happening. So, that would be another function that we would be able to perform.”
The MOA’s Fisheries Department is the agency responsible for oversight of the local fishing industry. Among its responsibilities are licensing and monitoring of vessels plying their trade in the country’s exclusive economic zone of the Atlantic Ocean.
Fish exports have been generating millions of US dollars annually for Guyana with thousands employed and dependent on the sector for living.
However, threats from piracy and overfishing have been worrying officials as breaches could affect our market overseas.
Fishing vessels all have to be outfitted with special devices, among other things, to be granted licences.
To reduce the possibilities of overfishing, operators are adhering to close seasons along with a smaller number of trawlers allowed licences.
It was reported that in 2015, total production for marine fisheries reached 35,835 metric tonnes.
Government’s Fisheries Department says it will be acquiring a patrol vessel this year to monitor the country’s fishing grounds.
It had fallen from 49,575 metric tonnes recorded in 2013.
The acquisition of the vessel at this time would come when there have also been complaints of boats from neighbouring countries coming here to fish illegally.
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