The Inland Fisheries of Guyana have valuable resources. It has been shown that these resources are declining and may be under threat. The Ministry of Agriculture’s Department of Fisheries has been mandated by Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud, to develop an Inland Fisheries Policy to regulate and control fishing activities.
Inland fish stocks are threatened by overfishing and other activity, including logging, mining and road construction. These activities, if not properly regulated, can result in serious effects on aquatic life and the rights of Amerindian populations in the interior of Guyana. Expanding harvesting of inland fish by non-Amerindians may adversely affect their food supplies and traditional lifestyle.
There has been an increase in inland fishing activities on a commercial scale. The use of seines and nets has become prominent in large quantities.
Inland fisheries resources stand threatened and interventions such as a National Inland Fisheries Policy and increased enforcement activities are planned. Recent increases in fishing activities appear to have led to reduced catch sizes for some stocks, and greater efforts are required to catch the same quantity of fish. Hence, while there may be some room for increased exploitation, it appears that the stocks are limited.
In recent years, the expansion of human settlements in the interior of the country, often in association with resource extraction activities, has resulted in added pressure to increase harvesting of inland fish resources.
Resource extraction activities such as mining and logging, together with road construction, increased fishing effort, and even tourism activities, threaten fish stocks.
The Fisheries Department, in parallel with the development of an Inland Fisheries Policy, will implement immediate actions to mitigate activities that would threaten the sustainable utilisation of the inland fisheries resources. The Inland Fisheries Policy and planned interventions will all be conducted in full consultation with all stakeholders. The goal of developing an Inland Fisheries Policy is to achieve sustainable levels of production, productivity and real incomes for fishery producers and other groups involved in the delivery of products to domestic and other markets.
The Fisheries Legislation 2002 has put in place the legal framework for effective fisheries management and development. It is under the authority of this Act that the newly developed Inland Fishery Policy will be empowered.
In order to achieve these goals, a better understanding of the resource, the production potential of the environment, and current fishing activities is required. This type of information is essential for the development of an effective management plan and regulatory framework. To date, the Fisheries Department has adopted the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) Inland Fisheries Guidelines as a foundation for the development of the policy.
A copy of the document that adopts the FAO Inland Fisheries Guidelines in Guyana’s context can be found on the Ministry of Agriculture’s website: <http://www.agriculture.gov.gy> www.agriculture.gov.gy, entitled Inland Fisheries Policy Guidelines for Guyana. This document can be downloaded and reviewed. Comments can be submitted to the Chief Fisheries Officer at email: fisheries@agriculture.gov.gy
Additionally, the Fisheries Department has also engaged the FAO in assisting with the development of the Inland Fisheries Policy for Guyana. The Department and the FAO have executed an Inland Fisheries Policy Project Formulation Mission in June 2010.
During this mission, visits and consultations were made with various communities in the hinterland. These include the Fair View community, Kurupukari, Annai, the Bina Hill Institute, Yupukari, Rewa, Surama, Iwokrama and Rockstone.
The outcome of the project formulation mission recommended the following considerations:
1. Assessments and public consultations with all stakeholders in the development of the Inland Fisheries Policy, including hinterland communities, external fishermen, conservation groups, NGOs, sport fishermen and Government agencies.
2. Aquaculture as an alternative, complement and is an option to fish production and enhancement of wild inland fish stocks.
3. Protected areas where fish may spawn. The protected areas will have to be identified and monitored.
4. Closed seasons should be determined to ensure regeneration of species.
5. Limitations on gear and fishing effort by regulating gear type, mesh size and amount of gear.
6. Increased public awareness and enforcement activities to educate and ensure better inland fishing practices.
7. Support and development of Sport Fishing and Tourism activities to further complement the economic returns of sustainable inland fisheries management.
8. Development of data collection, research and statistics activities on inland fish stocks.
9. Consideration of fisheries when contemplating other activities as mining and logging and road construction.
In the interim, the Ministry of Agriculture will be moving to apprehend persons fishing indiscriminately in inland areas.