UNITED States Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah Ann-Lynch, on Wednesday, visited the Upper Corentyne area where she met with fisher folks, members of the Region Six private sector and the Mayor of Corriverton. The purpose of the meetings was to meet with members of the Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce and residents face to face to hear about the issues affecting them.
Ambassador Lynch, while noting that some engagements can and will continue to be done virtually, said it was important to be on the ground to hear and witness first-hand the issues affecting persons. “What I wanted to achieve is to touch base again with the chamber’s president, some of the members [to] hear from them first-hand some of these issues on the ground, and with the fisher folk it’s hard to do those meetings virtually; to see them in action where they actually work on the boats, I saw them unfolding their nets, I saw the boat builders…I think while in the virtual world we have all done very well, maybe some things will continue on virtually but there are some things that I believe are better in person so I wanted to hear first-hand from those folks, “she said.

Meetings were held with the Upper Corentyne Fishermen Co-op society, Mayor of Corriverton, Winston Roberts, and the Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce. These were followed by a press conference at the City Inn Hotel at Line Path, Corentyne. The ambassador said COVID-19 management, infrastructure work and improving job opportunities were among the issues discussed with the Corriverton Mayor. During the meeting with the Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce, security, governance and prosperity were the key issues discussed.
The U.S. Ambassador noted that, although she met with these officials, the main focus of her visit was meeting with the fisher folks who had expressed concerns about illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and the issuance of licences to operate. “The issue of Illegal, unrecorded and unregulated fishing is an important one. We have a new administration in the United States right now. President Biden as you may have seen is very concerned about climate change. He held a large climate summit last week and so the issue of Illegal fishing really impacts not only the environment but it impacts global economies as well,” she added.

According to the ambassador, approximately 26 million tons of fish are caught illegally each year, which means money is being taken out of the pockets of fisher folks and “going into places where it shouldn’t go”. Ambassador Lynch said: “Here in Guyana I understand there is at least 10,000 fisher folks so this is an important part of the sector. The jobs that fishing creates is important and it is important that they get paid appropriately and they profit from their work. So it is an area we are looking at.” Meanwhile, President of the Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce, Hemchand Jaichand, added that the Guyanese fishermen are at the mercy of their Surinamese counterparts who facilitate the licensing agreement.
The US$300 (approximately $60, 000) that Guyanese fishermen paid to operate in Surname has been increased, he told reporters. The licence agreement stipulates that the catch must go to Suriname where it is sold at cheap prices. The unwanted fish is what is returned to Guyana to be sold.

Ambassador Lynch has since made a commitment to make representation at the relevant ministries regarding the licensing issue.
“We can just express concern as well because it does sound like a dramatic raise in the price for the licence and it is really impacting the fisher folk who are, I think, already challenged in this day and age to make a living. Our plan is to relay this issue back in Georgetown to the appropriate ministries and continue that conversation,” she said
Jaichand asked the ambassador to intervene in the expediting of the approval of some 150 licences which the Minister of Agriculture has attempted to get straightened out with his Surinamese counterparts.

“The documentation on the Guyanese end has been complete and is awaiting the approval of the Surinamese,” Jaichand stated, adding that the matter was raised with the U.S. Ambassador because the current licences for the Guyanese fisher folks will soon expire.
Among the other issues raised were the ban on catfish export to the US which the ambassador stated is being addressed.
“We are well aware that is a product that the diaspora really enjoys but there are certain rules and regulations for the export market of catfish so we had technical meetings with the folks here responsible for making sure all the appropriate safety measures are in place, and what not to export, so they are working on going through that list and as soon as that is complete, hopefully, there will be some good news sometime in the future,” she said.