Through the eyes of Eric – an artisanal seabob fisherman
Collecting the catch
Collecting the catch

SOOKNANAN Takchand, better known as Eric, has been an artisanal seabob fisherman in Guyana for more than 50 years. He started fishing at age nine to support his mother and younger siblings. Whatever he caught, Eric either sold or took home for family meals.

Today, a husband and father of four, Eric forms part of Guyana’s artisanal seabob industry, which contributes to almost 2 percent of the country’s total seabob landings. He mostly harvests seabob (coarse shrimp) and white belly shrimp (fine shrimp) that is processed in two ways: 1) by drying and 2) by peeling to sell fresh in local markets.
“Most Guyanese utilise a lot of seafood, especially Seabob. It is a daily meal for us. I can eat that all the time. My favourite is curried shrimp with dhal and rice,” Eric relates.

Sooknanan Takchan (FAO Guyana photos)

Guyana’s seabob industry
Guyana is the world’s largest producer of Atlantic seabob (Xiphopenaeus kroyeri), a commercially important shrimp harvested from the Atlantic Coast, which stretches along from the United States way down to Brazil.

Both industrial trawlers and artisanal fishers harvest seabob in Guyana, but most of the industrial catches are processed into frozen, peeled shrimp to supply local and international markets.  The industrial trawlers that operate offshore harvest the majority of the seabob, and function in accordance with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, which started in 2019. The certification tool measures the industrial seabob processes to ensure sustainability in operation and quality seafood products. MSC Certification is the only scientific measuring tool for wild-capture fisheries certification and eco-labelling programme that meets best-practice requirements as set out by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO).
Most of the industrial seabob catches are exported to North America.

As important players in the seabob value chain, both artisanal and industrial fishers are part of the FISH4ACP Project. The UNFAO is the implementing partner for FISH4ACP, an initiative of the Organization of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS). The programme aims to make selected fisheries and aquaculture value chains in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific more sustainable. In Guyana, FISH4ACP focuses on enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of the Atlantic seabob fisheries, while helping stakeholders to overcome some of the challenges faced.

Artisanal seabob
A typical day for Eric and his fellow fisherfolk starts at the break of dawn, when the red and white scarlet ibises and several other bird species noisily flock to the fishing dock at Goed Fortuin, looking for their meals. When the tide does not permit for fishing, some of the artisanal fishermen can be seen repairing their nets and boats, building new vessels or cleaning and servicing their other fishing gear.

On a usual fishing day, however, the workers equip their boats with iceboxes, fish crates, and nets in preparation for their journey to sea.
Artisanal seabob fishermen use the Chinese seine gear that catches the whitebelly, seabob shrimp and anything else that gets into the nets. Eric explains that the Chinese seine gear is designed to be positioned at one spot, making it work better during the spring tide, when the tide and currents are favourable. The current steers the catch into the nets, when the tide recedes, the fisherfolk haul the nets aboard and collect their catches.

Pulling in the Chinese seine

Environmental Impact
To ensure sustainable fishing practices, Eric and other small-scale fisherfolk work for about only 60 hours per month, or in the spring tide for 10 days in every two weeks. The reason for this Eric explained: “For a couple of years now we were facing depletion of catches. We are not producing the catch we used to produce before, so we are giving the sea time, so that our shrimp and fish can multiply. We are trying to rest the area and doing our best to preserve the species for a better catch.”
The artisanal fishermen also believe that the Chinese seine gear is environmentally friendly, because it is a stationary, small-scale operation.

Social Impact
Eric conveyed that artisanal fishery allows him to provide a stable livelihood for his family and educational opportunities for his children.
He was a member of the Region Three Fishermen Co-operative Society before the group became inactive. He now hopes that the 30-plus fisherfolk operating at Goed Fortuin can form an association to get better organised and have a greater impact at the national level, in addressing issues such as declining stocks, more favourable duty-free concessions, piracy, acquiring boat licences, training for captain licences and other important concerns of small-scale fisherfolk.

Economic Impact
Quantity per catch and price for seabob is challenging for fishermen and vendors, when trying to find the balance to ensure profitable operations. Both vendors and fishers are key stakeholders in the value chain that depend on each other.

According to Eric, COVID-19 had a big impact on the seabob industry.
“During this time, we relied on our savings to take care of our families, because the quarantine closed down everything and prevented people from shopping. This forced us to stop fishing for a few months and to take the necessary precautions to protect our fishing gears [sic] at the landing site and at sea,” he explains.

Eric feels that the FISH4ACP programme can help in several ways. With the information collected, the project can help artisanal fisherfolk identify the reasons for depletion in catches and find solutions. Fishers hope also that the project can provide training to help them manage their business, and assist to set up an association.

“I would like the artisanal fishery operation to be certified like the industrial fishery, so that we can sell our shrimp to them for exportation,” Eric also expressed.

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