Agri Ministry to engage Foreign Affairs on Berbice fishermen harassment in Corentyne River

Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Minister Zulfikar Mustapha has pledged to engage the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on the reports of continued harassment of Guyanese fishermen plying their trade in the Corentyne River by Suriname. 

Chairman of the Number 66 Fishermen’s Co-op Society, Mr. Pamashwar Jainarine on Saturday told Minister Mustapha that some years ago, Guyanese fishermen were issued licences directly from Suriname.

“Over 50 years now, fishermen from Number 79 Village and Crabwood Creek fishing in the Corentyne River. We had an arrangement with Suriname where one time they gave us our own licences. The licences were issued to Guyanese.

In 2007 the Surinamese took away the licences, gave them to people in Nickerie who would then rent these licences. It has reached a state now where they’re charging US$800 for a licence which has a value of about US$25. We’re asking for the cost to be reduced,” Mr. Jainarine said.

The Chairman also informed the Minister that fishermen are being harassed and extorted by certain Surinamese River patrols.

“In addition to that, they’ve been harassing the fishermen. They get certain patrols, there is an individual that demands money. US$100 or even US$200 and those who pay him the money are allowed to fish while the rest are sent home. Any lil thing and they’re sending back the boat.

Sometimes that licence hasn’t even expired but they would send home the boat. We had an arrangement, sometimes they would issue the licence in March, we understand March month next year the licence valid for never mind it said January to December. It would say January to December but they’re giving the licence in March, April, and even till June month,” Mr. Jainarine said.

Minister Mustapha told the fishermen that Government is in constant contact with the Surinamese officials on the issue. 

“We’ve had a discussion not so long ago and raised a number of issues about fishing. We were of the notion that Guyanese fishermen should have users’ rights. For example, if we’re going to Orealla, we don’t have to take a pass to use the River. They did indicate that they were willing to give the fishermen licences, both for the Corentyne River and their waters.

We don’t believe our fishermen should have to get licences to fish in the Corentyne River so we’ll continue to discuss these issues with our Surinamese counterparts. They had asked us to supply them with the names of those who usually rent licences to Guyanese but because Government is not the one engaging those individuals, we cannot supply them with that information,” Minister Mustapha said.

Minister Mustapha told the fishermen that his office will be dispatching a letter on Monday to the Foreign Affairs Ministry seeking the Minister’s intervention.

Last November, Minister Mustapha formed part of a ministerial delegation to Suriname, which was led by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali. Since then, the Ministries of Agriculture and Foreign Affairs have been in contact with Suriname’s Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries debating the issue.

Earlier this year, Minister Mustapha disclosed that his Ministry had received a correspondence that detailed the Surinamese government’s willingness to issue Guyanese fishermen licences soon.

This, he said, would see fishermen being able to operate comfortably in both the Corentyne River and Surinamese waters, thus eradicating the need for fishermen to pay exorbitant fees to rent licences from the middlemen.