– Remigrant poised to take hand line fishing to a new level in Guyana

THE IDEA of hand line fishing is not one too common in the Guyanese fishing industry. In fact, it may sound ridiculous to some if they were told that hand line fishing on a commercial scale and even for export, is less time consuming and to some extent, an easier method of particular fish.

That, however, is exactly what the bulk of Lennox Johnson’s Canaan Fisheries will entail. The Lot 8 Public Road, Land of Canaan establishment, has been in the making since 2000. But in the first week of April, Johnson expects to see all his hard work start paying off with the commencement of operation.

Altogether, the former United States resident has invested some $150 million in the construction of a massive wharf at his East Bank Demerara location, a processing plant, sales outlet and administrative building among other structures.

What makes Johnson’s establishment unique, however, is the commitment he is putting into hand line fishing for the red snapper species; the majority of which will be exported to the United States under the company’s “fresh and nice” brand.

Johnson explained that the $90 million, 175 by 30 foot ‘T’ wharf recently constructed aback his four-acre compound, has the capacity to hold some 30 to 40 fishing vessels that will be working exclusively for Canaan Fisheries. He said these boats will arrive from the Caribbean and Venezuela and will engage mainly in the hand line process. Johnson explained that Venezuelans are very well known for hand line fishing. The fishermen use basically a hook, line and bait.

Through this method, Johnson continued, a better quality of fish is caught and surprisingly, a boat will spend less time at sea hand fishing for the red snapper than if nets or traps are used. The benefit, he went on, is that the price of fish using the hand line method is almost twice the cost of the trapped or netted fish.
Eight to 10 men are going to be on the boats, many of whom will specialise in this type of fishing. An added bonus, the businessman noted is that the boats will be at sea and the plant will be in direct communication with them allowing, for the vessel to dock with its catch just as the plant would need it. This, he exclaimed, allows for, ”very nice, very fresh fish” to be exported.

“So when the boats come in, the only thing we have to do is wash the fish, ice it and straight to the airport.” The fish will already be gutted at sea and will never see a freezer on the Guyana end. Johnson explained that when fish is frozen before export, it requires a completely different process that entails, scaling the fish, filleting it among other practices.
Exporting frozen fish is among the other services Canaan Fisheries will provide. While a significant part of the operation will be based on the “fresh and nice” brand, the establishment is expected to prepare smoked fish and salted fish using a solar dryer.
A special facility will, however, be built to standard and close to the wharf to ensure the freshest and hygienic conditions for the red snapper. This was highlighted by Johnson since he said he is very keen on sanitation regulations and recognises the need for a quality product if it is to be exported. Johnson said that he also has his eyes on the European market and their regulations, he noted, are even stricter than the US market. When dealing with “nice and fresh, “you can’t have one scale missing, not a scratch, nothing, that is why this fish is so pricey,” the businessman said.

Johnson noted that boats are already falling into play for the commencement of the operation. He said he will start at a smaller capacity, but he expects that as the business grows, a total of 100,000 to 120,000 pounds of fish will be exported per week. He said his cold storage has a capacity of some 200,000 lbs of fish and the processing plant itself is about 4,000 sq. ft.

The compound has on it living quarters that will house some 12 employees. Johnson sees in the near future that about 25 to 30 staff will be working at the fisheries and he has made it a duty to seek employment for mainly young persons. He said they will operate in the capacity of fish processors, labourers, and administrative staff, among others.
“I wanted to invest in Guyana but I was unsure as to what I wanted to do,” Johnson told the Pepperpot Magazine. He said it was friends who encouraged him to get into the fishing industry. “So I started out by investing in a fishing vessel. I moved from that to processing and exporting using someone’s facility. Then I got my own facility and we are here now.”
Johnson said he would encourage anyone to come invest in Guyana. He said there are great opportunities here and his venture, for instance, is just one very promising area.