International organisation looks to develop Sport Fishing in Guyana
MINISTER of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Mr. Manniram Prashad, recently met with officials of Ocearch (Ocean Research) and Costa Del Mar, to discuss working towards the development of sport fishing in Guyana.

Meeting with the Minister at his South Road office in Georgetown were:
Costa Del Mar Vice-President of Marketing, Mr. Al Perkinson and Ocearch
President, Mr. Matt Shilling accompanied by Guyana Trade and Investment
Support (GTIS) Chief of Party, Mr. Patrick Henry; Tourism Specialist for
the Guyana Sustainable Tourism Initiative, Ms. Judy Karwacki; and Teri
O’Brien of Wilderness Explorers.

Minister Prashad noted that GTIS has helped put Guyana on the map with its birding programme which has taken off; hence, his ministry is always happy to work along with GTIS.

He reminded that unlike the ‘sun, sand and sea’ tourism product offered by our Caribbean neighbours, ‘Guyana – the Amazon Adventure’ offers a unique tourism product – eco, adventure and nature tourism.

He said Guyana has been gaining a lot of attention in the
international arena over the last few years , and more recently, notably
through its ambitious Low Carbon Development Strategy which is being
pushed and championed by His Excellency President Bharrat Jagdeo, who has
received the prestigious United Nations Environment Programme “Champion of the Earth’ award.

In terms of sport fishing, he said they are working towards developing Rockstone in Region Ten (Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice) which boasts one of the largest freshwater fishes in the world, the Arapaima; and Rewa in Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) as top sport fishing spots.

Tourism Awareness Month, which is currently being celebrated in Guyana, is being held under the theme ‘Community-based Tourism: Preserving the Unique Character and Culture of Communities” – was launched at the recent fifth annual Rockstone Fish Festival.

“I want to tell you that we welcome such support, and we are eager to work together with you to develop sport fishing in Guyana,” he reiterated.

Minister Prashad said he will be leading a team to visit Rewa shortly to look at this new area of tourism attraction.

He encouraged persons not to use fishing nets in these areas, and to help in protecting and preserving our natural environment to ensure the sustainability of our unique tourism product.

Perkinson said that during their two weeks in Guyana, they visited Rewa and Surama, adding, “… and I just fell in love with Guyana.”

He said, “Guyana is a beautiful place and it does have a huge amount of potential, I believe, for sport fishing.”

Shilling, meanwhile, said that they are not really interested in making profit but “sports fishing is really a great way to protect the environment because it is sustainable.”

The President of Ocearch said they can help to bring in experts and provide technical support to help train the indigenous people and develop this lucrative niche market which also attracts the high-end market.

He said they would like to do a conservation plan in order to protect our bountiful species of fishes and this can also augur well for community-based tourism since visitors can also engage in other areas of activities such as bird watching, wildlife spotting and agro-tourism.

“You are very fortunate to have a very robust resource, and we want to protect it for the future generations to enjoy and also create a passion for them – while opening opportunities for the communities,” he said.

The officials, who are expected to be back next January, said that they look forward to working along with the Ministry and other stakeholders to
develop sport fishing in Guyana.

Guyana shares with the Amazon River over 1800 fish species. Among those
are several Game Fish Species such as the Payara, Arowana, Himara, and
what is considered by professional anglers worldwide as the world’s most
popular Fresh Water Game Fish, the Peacock Bass (Lukanani).

Ocearch is a non-profit organisation which believes in the social, economic, and environmental benefits of sustainable fisheries management while protecting sport fishing access focusing on four primary programme areas: research, education/awareness, sustainability, and marine debris.

Costa Del Mar designs and manufactures high-end polarized sunglasses for
use in sports such as fishing, sailing and surfing, and sponsors over
forty fishing tournaments, both on- and offshore, every year.

It is the official sunglass sponsor of organisations such as Trout Unlimited, International Game Fish Association, Coastal Conservation Association, and the Billfish Foundation.