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Despite declining catch, Essequibo Coast fisherman continues to bet on industry
By Romario Blair
Kaieteur News – The world’s fishing industry, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, is on the verge of collapse. These pressures are sadly mounting for fisherfolk right here in Guyana.
Essequibo Coast fisherman, Pareshram Kulraj
However, there are some fishermen who are still convinced that there is hope for the industry, despite the struggles being faced. Among them is Pareshram Kulraj who hails from Bounty Hall, Essequibo Coast. The 25-year-old fisherman, who captains a fishing vessel and usually plies his trade just off the Essequibo Coast, said that he is determined to hold on despite the many hurdles the industry has been facing in recent times since this is all he knows to do. Kulraj, who is a father of three, revealed that he has been in the fishing industry for the past eight years, and has in fact been on the sea since he was 14 years old.
Challenges
During an exclusive interview with The Waterfalls, Kulraj said that though the industry is enduring a difficult period, he has no plans to leave anytime soon since he is well aware that like any other career, fishing has its own challenges.
As part of his operations, Kulraj said he usually spends as much as five days on sea, before returning to port. These five days, he said, does not come without some difficulties. According to him, “Wah mek dis wuk hard is de catching phase; sometimes yuh gotta deal with tangle seine…this can happen when yuh drop de seine, but den de boat drift around and get hook up with de seine… sometimes when dis happen yuh can tek a good half hour to hour just fuh free it.”
“Den it got days when yuh throw and you don’t get anything, dem days does be hard,” Kulraj said as he recalled that “Back in 2014, when I start work at sea, we use to get lil fish. Today de fish na really deh like before…awe use to get like 5000 pounds, now me can barely mek like a 2000 and 3000 pounds.”
The young man revealed that because of the poor catch, the fishing business is becoming less profitable. “After the catch, we usually use to get enough to cover the expense and then we leave back with a lil twenty something ($$) as profit. For a month there was basically like $100,000 in profits to make use of.”
He explained that in terms of price “awe use to get $250 a pound fuh banga but is now $160…We barely can buy thing cause cost ah living high – de ration is $20,000, de greens is $5,000, ice is $30,000, water is $1,600 and gas $40,000. Yuh gotta get money fuh pay wukman, plus fuh rent boat…suh wah awe start do is mek de seine langer fuh mek wan langer haul.”
Growing-up
Kulraj grew up in a poor single parent home with his two siblings. He revealed that his father too worked as a fisherman, for over 30 years, and was the one who introduced him to the industry at the age of 14. “Three awe grow up with me father…growing up was hard, hard because we tek care ah we self; from eight years I start mind meself,” he shared.
The young man revealed too, “Me never went to school, but If I had the opportunity to go back in time and guh to school, me wud guh. Because how me grow me old man was a fisherman and suh dat was de only thing me know fuh do fuh mek wan living…me had to earn… and den me get to love de wuk. Like three years now me is de captain, so now everybody is me responsibility and maintaining de boat, maintaining de seine and supervising de wukman dem.”
All for the family
Kulraj and his 24 -year-old wife, Sherry, are parents to three children – ages one to three years old. He said that while he was not granted the opportunity of receiving an education, he will not let his children have the same misfortune. According to the doting father, “Me reason fuh dat is dat I gotta earn, I gotta take care of me wife and three kids and it can be hard sometimes, not every time de fish does catch; out pon sea can rough, but me still gotta make a living fuh me family sake. Me want see me children get prapa education and do better in life.”
Long term plan
As such, among his long-term plan, Kulraj said that he hopes to one day own his own fishing boat, and take a break from the sea. “Presently me renting a boat from a man and he does mek sure it load up fuh guh sea. When de boat come back he gat fuh mek back he money from de loading and he also gat fuh get a percentage from profit,” the fisherman disclosed. Kulraj said that he is determined to work hard and acquire a boat in hopes of one day retiring and having someone work it for him.
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