-express eagerness to return to sea

By: Indrawattie Natram

THE Guyanese fishermen who were recently detained in Venezuela have been given the green light to return to their respective homes after receiving negative COVID-19 results on Monday.

The fishermen were swabbed on Saturday, shortly after arriving at Charity and were instructed to remain at Kumar Lallbacchan’s fishing wharf on their vessels until the results were obtained.

Most of them were confident that they were not exposed to the virus, given that they were told to remain on their boats until told otherwise by the Venezuelan authorities. The fishermen were apprehended by Venezuela’s naval vessels on January, 21, 2021. After spending two weeks in detention and making a court appearance, they, along with their vessels were released.

The fishermen on Monday continued to express gratitude to the Government of Guyana and the international community for the steps taken to secure their release.

Captain of the Sea Wolf, Tony Garraway, said that he is happy to return to his Westbury home. Garraway said that while the journey was “bittersweet,” crew members are eager to return to sea. He said that his crew members are counting close to $2M in losses.

“The Venezuelan authorities stole all the glue and the fishes. We were going to bring home a good catch this trip but all went brown,” Captain Garraway said.

He told The Guyana Chronicle that crew members will return to their families, after which they will start packing to go back to the sea.

“The bad experience will not hinder our progress. Fishing is our trade. This is what we doing for years, so as soon as we spend some time with we family is back to the sea we go,” Garraway said.

He stated that he and his crew members had not been doing anything illegal and were fishing within Guyana’s borders.

Additionally, 18-year- old Javin Boston said that since he was a small boy he loved fishing and that is what helps him to support his family. Boston is also eager to return to sea.

“You know when you accustom to something you can’t stop. I accustom to go to sea come back with meh money and help my mom,” Boston said.

Captain of Lady Nayera, Richard Ramnarine, said he will be returning to his East Coast Demerara home where his family is anxiously awaiting his arrival. He said he and his crew members are also preparing to head back to sea in a matter of weeks. He estimated their losses to be around $3 million in glue and fish.

“That experience is just a learning process that will not stop meh. I am in this for years,” he said.

Ramnarine also maintained that he was fishing within Guyana’s territory.

Owner of Lady Nayera, Kumar Lallbacchan, also said that members will go back to sea. He praised his workers for the way they handled the entire ordeal.

Region Two Chairperson, Vilma De Silva had said that in future, the coastguards will be providing training for the fishermen. The training she said will outline Guyana’s boundaries. However, she said that Guyana will remain watchful of its border.

De Silva met with the fishermen on Saturday morning after their arrival.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd and a delegation during a visit to Charity last Friday, distributed hampers to the men’s families. He informed the families that the men who were detained in Venezuela had been operating within Guyana’s boundary and were not engaging in illegal fishing.

Trevor Daniels, Toney Garraway, Errol Gardener, Orlando Roberts, Christopher Shaw, Shirvin Oneil, and Randy Henry were on board the Sea Wolf while Richard Ramnarine, Ramlakhan Kamal, Nick Ragubar, Javin Boston, Michael Domingo, and Joel Joseph were on the Lady Navera.

The men said that they were not mistreated by the Venezuelan authorities.