By Nafeeza Yahya

WITH close to 800 families no longer earning an income from their breadwinners as a result of a temporary ban on fishing due to COVID-19, the Upper Corentyne fisher folks are pleading for any form of assistance, even as they seek the intervention of the Guyana Government to get the Surinamese authorities to allow them to fish.

Parmeshwar Jainarine, the Chairman of the Upper Corentyne Fishermen Co-op Society, explained to the Guyana Chronicle that in his 40 odd years in the fishing industry, he has never seen a time where they have had so many boats moored or faced this level of hardship.

Jainarine, in breaking down the math, explained that they have approximately 150 boats at three ports that would have employed around 750 persons directly as most boats carry a five-member crew while some carry six. He noted that in addition to these fishermen, there are porters, cleaners and other auxiliary staff who would gain employment from the fishing vessels.

The boats and crew have been docked since early March when Suriname abruptly closed its border after recording its first case of the novel coronavirus. As a result of the sudden closure, many fishing boats were seized and some $7M in losses were incurred. This was as result of the boats being left in the open docks without anyone being there to perform neither maintenance nor retrieve supplies. Apart from two engines that were completely damaged, the boats were also partially submerged in water, while fuel, groceries and other items such as batteries and the anchors were looted.

While the industry has not come to a complete halt, some one third of the over 150 boats are fishing in local waters. However the price for fish has dropped by as much as 50 per cent since the high demand from the regional and international markets are no longer there. This has now added salt to the wounds of the fisher folk, especially the co-op, as they reflect on their policies and what needs to be in place in tough times as this one.

“It is really heartbreaking to see people not having anything to eat and they would come by the fisheries hoping the can get a lil wuk or a fish to go home and cook for their families. Everyone is facing the same situation and them boys, whenever they get a lil extra they would help one and another but the prices drop for fish too. Snapper was 350 per pound we now getting 200; trout was 250, is now 100. There is no safety net to cushion the blows,” Jainarine explained.

He added that the policy of the co-op with a one off membership fee of $25,000 may have to be revisited and a revolving fund be made available from contributions of members so that in similar situations in the future, they can have monies available to assist their membership.

Meanwhile, Ramnaresh Chanderdat, a former sugar worker, started fishing with his brother following the closure of the estate to make ends meet. He lost his wife a few years ago due to diabetes since he could not afford the treatment. He is now facing a similar situation with his 20-year-old daughter, who is also suffering from the same medical condition and is appealing for help.

“I am begging anyone to please help me. I lose meh wife when the estate close, now me get one lil fishing wuk and that stop now. Me get two children and me 20-year-old daughter need insulin; the hospital nah get, me gah find $5000 a month to buy and me nah get one cent. Me a try me a hustle and try go backdam and catch fish but people nah even get money to buy the fish. Me end up most time gah use it fuh home” Chanderdat said.
Like Chanderdat, many do not have any other skillset and are unable to land jobs to ease the financial burdens they face in taking care of their families.

The fishermen are asking for the government’s intervention in asking the Surinamese authorities to allow them to resume fishing with the condition that they remain on the water tops and only stop to purchase ice at the docks in Suriname. They are willing to make their trips shorter and less frequent while abiding by the guidelines and are also open to being screened before entry into the docks. They are hoping this can be facilitated soon since each day the struggle gets harder.

The co-op has since used its office to register the fishermen and their families to receive aid via the government’s online data collection site aimed at identifying and providing support for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.