Georgetown: The Guyana marine fishing industry is a very important sub sector within the Fishing industry and is responsible for creation of jobs, food security and rural development. Therefore, the need to ensure viability and sustainability for future generations amidst the rapidly changing global, regional and national economies cannot be over-emphasised.
With this in mind, the Fisheries Department, within the framework of an EU-funded ACP FISH II project, has been working to update their Fisheries Management Plan, to address the challenges facing Guyana’s fisheries sector over the next five years.
This process which began in February had, among other activities, consultation, meetings and workshops headed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries Department which were held in Georgetown, Berbice and Essequibo with important participants in the sector, including artisanal fishery, fish buyers, exporters, trawler and snapper boat owners. Discussions were also held with other branches of government, including the Coast Guard, the Maritime Administration and Veterinary Public Health Officials from the Ministry of Health, as well as non-governmental organisations concerned with marine conservation and the protection of rare animals such as marine turtles.
The outcome of these consultations has been synthesised into a draft Fisheries Management Plan, which sets out the main issues, objectives and actions proposed for each fishery. The Fisheries Department proposes to orientate its main actions over the next five years according to the priorities (addressed under individual management plans), identified during the consultation process.
There is focus on the artisanal fisheries and the artisanal fisheries management plan seeks to achieve, essentially: i) continued and improved data collection systems for the fishery, in order to assess whether stocks are healthy, and to identify the reasons for the falling catch rates observed in many areas; ii) promotion of licensing of fishermen; iii) support the rehabilitation and development of the fisheries cooperatives for the benefit of all members; iv) improved infrastructure for better working conditions and higher quality fish for consumers, as resources permit; and v) support of other agencies in addressing the issue of piracy.
A shrimp management plan is also laid out in the FMP and will address certain main issues such as data on shrimp, prawn and fish catch by trawlers, to ensure that stocks remain healthy; and conflicts between trawlers and artisanal fishermen.
The FMP also establishes a management plan for the red snapper fishery, and it will aim to: promote the use of hand lines rather than traps, thereby making the fishery more ecologically sustainable; address the issue of illegal fishing of snapper by foreign vessels, in cooperation with the Coast Guard; and continue to improve data collection systems, in order to assess the health of the stock and find the cause of declining catch rates.
Apart from the above mentioned management plans, the Fisheries Department has developed some cross-cutting strategies, which will address issues identified across all fisheries. These include:
· Strategy for data collection and management
· Strategy for tackling illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
· Strategy for ongoing training and capacity development for Fisheries Department staff
· Better knowledge about shark catch from all fisheries is required, due to international pressure for control of exports of products from some shark species.
Most estimates of fisheries contribution to GDP show that it is equally as important as the rice sector. Compared to the rest of the Caribbean Community area, Guyana has very rich fisheries resources, and this management plan aims to promote their use in a sustainable way.
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