BACKGROUND
INTEGRATED Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is one of the subjects covered in my environmental engineering and coastal engineering classes at the university level. I spend at least 1-2 lectures stressing to students the importance of the coastal zone and the need for effective management within this area. ICZM is a coordinated strategy for the development and management of coastal resources and environments through sustainable development principles. In 2000, Guyana developed an ICZM programme, which had its challenges with implementation. However, more recently the Coastal and Marine Management Committee (CMMC) was established through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assist with coordinated management of coastal and marine environments through inter-agency collaboration. As anyone would appreciate, coastal zones are some of the most productive areas of the world, and according to Maul and Duedall (2021)1 , about 40 per cent of the world’s population are coastal dwellers living within 100 km of a coastline, and eight per cent reside within 10 km. In Guyana, that population is an astounding 90 per cent living along the coast! Therefore, it is no surprise that issues of resource conflicts and environmental impacts from economic activity would raise concerns for our country.

DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
This is certainly the case now that Guyana has introduced offshore oil production to its economic portfolio. The media is dominated with articles about the impacts and risks of oil production, including spinoff production activities such as the proposed gas-to-shore project. One area of resounding conflict has been fish versus oil. I’ve read in various parts of the media that offshore oil production was being cited as a cause for reduction in fisheries catch. This issue has been addressed by many different authors, environmentalists, government officials, and industry executives. A number of fisherfolk have made claims laying culpability for lower fish catch at the feet of the burgeoning oil industry. Some environmentalists have been quick to support these claims, while others have been calling for more studies and data to lay the claims to rest. More recently, however, Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo and Minister Zulfikar Mustapha (Minister of Agriculture) cited an upcoming report from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, which found no correlation between lower fish catch and oil production. Instead, climate change is seen as the underlying driving force affecting fisheries. Personally, I find the joint research work coming out from the University of Northern British Columbia, University of Alberta, and the University of Guelph published in the Journal of Research & Social Science in May of 2021 to be quite informative on the subject. Their peer-reviewed paper provides a thorough narrative assessment of the scholarship on the interaction among oil, fisheries, and coastal communities.

The academic literature, numerous case studies, and the various environmental impact assessments (EIA) submitted to the Guyana EPA for well development within the Stabroek Block do indicate that various aspects of offshore oil activities can negatively impact marine life. However, it is important to review the specific activities in the Stabroek Block and not draw generalised conclusions about the impact of oil drilling. Some of the important factors at play in Guyana’s case include the distance between oil drilling and fishing grounds, the quality of produced water (including salinity), and the type of commercial marine fish species. In the case of produced water salinity, it is doubtful that the current volume of water produced (2019-2022) is sufficient to change seawater salinity within a 100-mile radius of the currently operating floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels. A simple back-of-the-envelope calculation assuming up to 3x salinity produced water and 1:1 extraction of produced water with oil can easily demonstrate this suspicion. Further, control measures as stated in the EIA for the Liza Phase 1 limits oil and grease content to 29 parts per million (ppm) monthly average and 42 ppm daily maximum. Further dilution of these constituents would be expected at multiple orders of magnitude (>1,000-10,000) when released to seawater. Spatial overlapping between offshore oil production and fisheries can result in displacement of artisanal fisheries by oil and gas infrastructure and operation, but this is not the case in Guyana. Offshore production is located some 190 miles from the shore, while most artisanal fishing remains within 15 miles offshore. Finally, while this may not be relevant to Guyana, some studies show offshore infrastructure serving to increase fish density around the installations. There’s an important story here, however. The fisheries industry is vital, not just as a source of income for a sizable section of the Guyanese population, but also because fish is the number one source of protein in Guyana.

The average Guyanese resident consumes about 16 pounds of fish each year, which is almost three times what the rest of the world averages at six pounds per year. It is not hard to imagine all the things we Guyanese do with fish, including fish and chips, fried fish (with pepper), fish cakes, fish curry, fish stew, baked fish, fish broth, steam fish, saltfish, and so much more. The fact is that the fisheries industry needs to remain and grow along with the burgeoning oil economy because a vibrant fisheries industry is a key aspect of national and regional food security. There is no reason for Guyana to cede its position as the number one producer of Atlantic seabob shrimp for example, with annual harvests worth US$50M. According to the New York Post, 75 per cent of oil production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico are located off the Louisiana coast and it is still able to supply almost a third of North America’s fisheries. Further, oil is good for fish, and I’m not talking about frying oil, but energy security and sustainability is crucial to support fisheries. High cost of fuel has had a major impact on the fisheries industry in the past prompting the Government to offer subsidies and creative means for artisanal fisherfolk to obtain fuel. Oil production is slated to impact energy, both with increased hydrocarbon-based fuels, but also with investments in renewable energy.

CONCLUDING REMARKS
While we expect fishing to become a smaller part of the Guyanese economy and GDP over time, that is only because the economy is growing in other areas. To maintain productivity, I expect that the Government will move to regulate the industry more to ensure sustainability and not return to a past riddled with unregulated fishing practices, poor resource management and overfishing. Further, with aquaculture development on the horizon, it is likely that the industry will grow to meet new demands. I’m always reminded that a small percent of a bigger number is still a larger share in the end. This brings me back to the beginning of this article. The co-existence of fish and oil can only be achieved through effective ICZM; prevention and or minimisation of coastal and marine environmental impacts, pollution control, and sustainable economic growth based on sustainable natural resource use.