Latest update December 4th, 2024 2:40 AM
Berbice fishermen worried as exports ‘struggling’, prices fall
There are growing concerns among fishermen in Berbice about the drop in the price of fish, particularly Snapper and Trout. The concerns stem from the recent decrease in the exportation of fish to other countries.
There is a call for immediate interventions to have more exporters on board before the fishing industry dwindles away
The Number 66 Fisheries, Corentyne, East Berbice.
Chairman of the Number 66 Fisheries Co-op, Parmeshwar Jainarine told reporters that over the past two weeks, there has been a drop in the price for the two main fish (snapper and trout) with snapper dwindling from $400 per lb to $300, while trout went down to $140 per lb from $180. Jainarine also stated that the “fish glue” price tumbled down from $21,000 to $13,000 per lb with the price likely to drop even lower in the coming weeks. He stressed that such a development is a major concern for the fishing industry.
Jainarine disclosed that the industry moved from three major exporters of fish to just one within a period of three years.
“The fish is too much, the fish is more being caught than being sold. For example, when the exporter export 20 containers per month, 60 containers fish going by he, so he get a constant backing up, and he reach a stage now that he cannot sell the amount of fish he receiving,” Jainarine said.
According to Jainarine who is also a fisherman, although there are small buyers of the fish from Georgetown, they are not purchasing the snapper and trout, they purchase other types of fish (Banga-mary), “the fish that we don’t target”.
He mentioned that the “fish-glue” which is normally exported to China in large quantities, is now struggling along the export line.
“We were told that there is a problem with the China market because actually all the glue go to China, so we are not making money. We bringing in the amount of fish, the expense remain, but the money you making, the take home reduce by half.”
Jainarine is contending that because of the sloth in exportation, fishermen are left with crumbs to pocket after they have returned from sea and paid their debts that are normally owed to the co-op. He is calling for immediate interventions to have more exporters on board before the fishing industry dwindles away.
“We cannot survive on this, we are studying what next to do because we cannot cut down our cost anymore,” Jainarine stressed.
He added that with the sugar industry being dissolved and the current problems with the rice industry, more persons have gravitated to fishing.
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