The two seabob licences are not new, but were dormant, and have now been reactivated

Feb 03, 2021 Letters

Dear Editor,

I would be grateful if some small space can be accorded to me in your publication, to express my views regarding the current issue of the granting of two additional trawler licences by the Fisheries Department, Ministry of Agriculture.

As with any issue, it is important to define the terms relating to the issue under discussion, so as to avoid misunderstanding and misconception.

The licences under discussion are for the capture of Seabob, a single species of large marine shrimp. The Seabob is different from what locally were once referred to as “prawns”; prawns are a category of large marine shrimp, comprised of about four species.

It is worth noting that Guyana’s prawn fishery was fished to commercial extinction in the 1980’s and early 1990’s. The main prawn fishing activities at this time were implemented by a large foreign owned company. Following the collapse of the prawn fishery, many of the trawlers turned to the capture of Seabob.

Over the past few years, the local Seabob fishery has undergone several changes. Of note is the ongoing effort by the stakeholders of this fishery to obtain international certification, by the introduction of several management activities. These management activities are geared to ensure the sustainability of the fishery, so that hopefully it does not go the way of the prawn fishery. These management measures also should, among other important things, facilitate greater market access for the product.

Another important recent change is the consolidation of the Seabob fishing fleet, with most of the trawler licences now being held by a foreign company.

While it is welcome that efforts are being made to ensure the sustainability of the valuable Seabob fishery, and the attendant rewards, the former cannot be implemented, nor the latter reaped, with the exclusion of Guyanese. The Seabob fishery is the patrimony of Guyanese, and as such, Guyanese fisher folk have every right to participate.

From the information available in the public sphere, it is understood that the licences granted by the Ministry of Agriculture are not new, but rather, were dormant, and have now been reactivated. As such, the two licences under discussion do not represent an addition to the fishery.

If the concern is that these two new licences will complicate the current certification efforts, then it is incumbent on those entities who are currently further along in the implementation of the required management measures, to advise and facilitate the two recent licencees accordingly.

It is also incumbent on the two recent licencees to unreservedly participate and adopt the required measures, so as to ensure their personal success, and the success and longevity of the fishery as a whole.

It is also incumbent on the Ministry of Agriculture, having seen it fit to grant the licences, to facilitate this process, for the achieving of the many rewards that this fishery will continue to provide. This can be done via an existing body, such as the Fisheries Advisory Committee, or via a new mechanism that the Hon. Minister can define.

At the end of the day, the Seabob fishery in Guyana belongs to Guyanese, and as such, Guyanese should be able to fully participate in its requirements for sustainability, and hopefully, the resulting rewards.

Yours truly,
Harryprasad Etwaroo
Former Fishing Consultant

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The two seabob licences are not new, but were dormant, and have now been reactivated

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