I wish to refer to an article in the Stabroek News of the July 1, 2010, captioned “Sport Fishing to be reeled in” and a letter by Dr. Bud Mangal also in the Stabroek News on July 2nd, 2010 captioned “Most sport fishers respect the protected areas”. Like Dr. Mangal I can only respond to what was written in the article. I agree with most of Dr. Mangal’s views but would like to register some additional concerns of mine.
I have travelled the length and breadth of Guyana doing sports fishing i.e. Hook and Line Fishing. The regular belief is that one can fish everyday, 12 months of the year. This is not the case. If the water is too high or too low, sports fishing take a licking. Thus, we are left with only two months in any given year to do sports fishing. Further, these trips are fairly expensive and have no commercial basis. It takes luck to get a bite and skill to land a fish, where, at least the fish is given a chance to escape.
My 50 years of traversing Guyana’s rainforest and water ways doing sports fishing, convinced me, that if we want to get serious about fish conservation we should seriously examine Coast Landers who set up camps along the water ways and use gill nets that trap all species of mammals, reptiles and fishes, including fresh water turtles and the protected Arapaima, and other species that dwell in our rivers, creeks, lakes, etc. These gill nets span the width of the river blocking the path of every living creature. This must stop.
Mining camps multiply this problem. They are now thousands of mining camps in our forest and if each camp uses two pieces of gill net one can imagine the destruction and degradation that this fishing practice causes to our biodiversity and ecology. How did miners survive before gill netting was introduced in Guyana?
Finally, most people are not aware that most of our fresh water species of fishes including mammals are contaminated with mercury. This places the population at great risk when they consume these species. A WWF study conducted in two areas some time ago in the interior confirmed this fact.
I think a careful study should be done to determine the effects of gill net fishing and mercury contamination in our fresh water rivers creeks and lakes.
Banning sports fishing which many Guyanese enjoy with their friends from overseas for only two months in the year is like putting a ban on the Ministry of Trade and Tourism.