13.I.1.1 The fisheries sector is of critical importance to the country’s economy. Its importance is evident in five key areas: first, fish is the major source of animal protein in Guyana. It is estimated that per capita annual consumption of fish rose from 9 to 27 kilograms between 1980 and 1988, jumped dramatically to 45 kilogramme in 1991, and reached 59.8 kilogramme in 1998. This is more than four times the world average consumption of 14 kilogramme per year; second, fisheries contributed 6.2 percent of the country’s GDP in 1997; third, Guyana’s export earnings from fisheries, which were US$20.5 million in 1994, rose to US$41.8 million by 1997; fourth, the fishing industry employs some 4,800 people in harvesting and 5,800 in processing. Many more citizens benefit indirectly from fishing-related occupations, such as boat-building and boat maintenance activities; and fifth, the fishery sector is a significant net contributor to the Government’s revenue. Indeed, the ratio of the sector’s revenues to the government’s expenditure on it is more than 80 to 1.

13.I.2.1 The fisheries sector of Guyana comprises three primary components: marine fisheries, inland fisheries, and aquaculture.

Marine Fisheries

13.I.2.2 Guyana has a coastline of 432 km. and a continental shelf area of 48,665 sq. km. The average width of the continental shelf is 112.6 km. The area of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is 138,240 sq. km. Most of Guyana’s fishing occurs in the relatively shallow waters of the continental shelf. The marine resources exploited within the EEZ are mainly the demersal fishery resources and, to a much more limited extent, the pelagic fish resources which are to be found both over the continental shelf and toward the continental slope. Some of the demersal species, particularly prawns and shark, are showing clear signs that they are being exploited at an unsustainable rate. On the other hand, some deep slope demersal and pelagic species are underexploited in spite of their greater potential. From a commercial viewpoint, the most important stocks may be the cross-boundary species. Harvesting these stocks and ensuring that they are exploited in a sustainable manner will require joint initiatives with Venezuela, Suriname, French Guiana and Brazil.

13.I.2.3 Although, for the most part, data on the sector are estimates which are not especially consistent, the table below summarises the most reliable information on the stocks of marine resources and recent production levels.

Resource and Production Levels in the Fisheries Sector

13.I.2.4 All of the production from artisanal fisheries, and also a significant portion of the industrial, are taken from the demersal stocks. The pressure on these stocks is therefore intense. In contrast, the pelagic species are hardly touched, except by poachers from other nations. These data immediately suggest the need to impose sustainable management processes on demersal stocks and, at the same time, the desirability of expanding seaward to deeper waters.

13.I.2.5 The industrial fishery dominates the export market, which is concentrated on shrimp, whereas the artisanal and inland fisheries, almost in their entirety, are oriented toward the domestic market. The industrial fishery consists of 125 trawlers, five fish/shrimp processing plants, and many wharves and dry docking facilities. The ice and freezing facilities which service this fishery are owned and operated by persons within and outside the fishery subsector. The trawlers are 54 percent foreign owned. Foreign trawlers mainly exploit prawns (Penaeus species) with finfish as a by-catch, while locally owned trawlers mainly exploit a smaller shrimp called seabob, and finfish. The total number of trawlers has fallen by about 20 percent since the early 1980s, reflecting a decline in the prawn population, and the enforcement of a management decision not to increase the level of the trawling fleet.

13.I.2.6 The trawler fleet is classified in terms of their operations (prawns, seabob/finfish, finfish). The prawn vessels operate as a limited-entry fleet with the upper limit being eighty vessels. The seabob/finfishing fleet’s upper limit has been set at 30 vessels. A smaller number has been established for the seabob/finfishing fleet because of uncertainity about the seabob resource, and because of the fact that these vessels operate within the breeding and nursery grounds of the marine fishery. Local trawler owners and operators have all moved into seabob/finfish thus ignoring the upper limit for seabob trawlers. The Fisheries Department is reviewing catch data and is in discussion with industry to change the vessel limits to 75 for prawns and 45 for seabob.

13.I.2.7 Trawlers catching prawns take on board finfish and are required to land 15 mt of this by-catch each year. However, dumping of by-catch at sea is still a widespread practice.

13.I.2.8 Some trawlers, especially those configured for seabob, target finfish when seabob is not in abundance. While the stress on the prawn resource has been evident for a number of years, seabobs too are now being more fully exploited, and several new seabob processing plants have been opened. Moreover, the seabob/finfish trawlers have been operating increasingly close to shore, leading to a greater incidence of conflict between the industrial and artisanal fisheries.

13.I.2.9 In addition to the trawlers, fishing boats known as handliners, which fish at depths between 120 m and the edge of the continental shelf, target snapper and grouper. It was recognized that there was room for a limited expansion of this fishery in view of its potential sustainable yield, with production oriented toward export and the developing tourist markets. Accordingly, in 1997/1998, ten foreign vessels were licensed, and local fishermen switched to the use of traps and converted the larger artisanal vessels to fish for snapper. There is now need to control the mesh size of the traps, as well as the poaching by foreign vessels in the snapper/grouper areas.

13.I.2.10 Small scale or artisanal fishery is not only an important source of food, in both rural and urban areas, but it is also increasingly significant as sources of employment, income and foreign exchange. This type of fishery experienced rapid growth, both in numbers of participants and volume of landings, up to 1992, but since then production has leveled off. This is probably due to a reduction in the volume of fish resources. Indeed, there are increasing complaints by drift seine fishermen that they are obliged to spend longer periods at sea, use longer nets, and fish farther from shore to maintain the levels of their catch.

13.I.2.11 There are about 4,500 small scale fishers. Of these about 1,000 are boat owners. Sixty to seventy percent of the boat owners are members of fishermen’s cooperatives which acquire and sell fishing requisites to their members. Activity in the inshore artisanal fishery is pursued exclusively by Guyanese, who have been experiencing difficulties in obtaining fishing licences to fish in the waters at the mouths of the Corentyne River and off the Suriname Coast.

13.I.2.12 The development of onshore infrastructure (wharves, ramps, workshops, fuel depots, requisite shops, ice machines, and fish storage bins) at eight sites along the coast, financed by the Government with assistance from CIDA and the EEC, has been completed. Five of these complexes have been leased to fishermen’s cooperatives. However, poor management and the lack of capital hinder the operation of most of them.

Subsistence fishery

• Freshwater fishing is conducted in rivers, creeks, lakes, reservoirs, canals, and in savanna areas where the seasonal increase in rainfall gives rise to large expanses of seasonally flooded lands. This type of fishing is influenced by the down period in agriculture and the unavailability of other economic activities. For example, in the sugar estate areas the intensity of fishing varies adversely with the harvesting of sugar cane and rice. Freshwater fishing is undertaken with small, flat-bottomed, dory type vessels and cast nets, seine or handlines.

• The limited data available indicate that most inland fishing is carried out by Amerindians, although non-Amerindians fish in inland waters near the coast and in the vicinity of logging and mining communities situated in the interior of the country. At present, the effort is largely directed at subsistence fishing, although a few fishermen participate in small-scale commercial fisheries based on inland waters.

• The country’s flowing waters are the "blackwaters" typical of rain forest regions. They are characterised by an acid or very acid reaction and a low level of dissolved minerals. Their level of biological production is low unless the waters are retained in lakes or canals, where their nutrient status and productivity tend to rise. Many of these waters do, however, support a diverse population of fish, which often reach large sizes. This apparent anomaly between an environment low in productivity and a relative abundance of catchable fish could be due to the very low level of exploitation to which the fish in these waters have been subjected until recently. Indeed, the steady increase in fishing pressure has already brought about a decline in the sizes of some of the fish that have been caught. The implication is that the resource cannot sustainably support a yield much above that which meets subsistence requirements.

• However, areas that seasonally alternate between dry savanna grasslands and a shallow floodplain caused by heavy rainfall and rivers overlapping their banks usually have a high level of fish production. This is caused by the abundance of nutrient materials absorbed into the water from the dry lands when the flooding occurs. There are some forty or fifty thousand square kilometres of these seasonally inundated floodplains in the southwestern areas of the country, especially in the Rupununi, and a potential harvest of up to 100 tonnes per square kilometre may be achievable.

• There is also a limited amount of harvesting, especially of crab, in intertidal and shallow sub-tidal areas along the coast, without the use of vessels. The main crab species taken are the blueback or blue sheriga (Callinectes bocourti), the bunderi (Cardiosoma guanhami) and the red sheriga (Portunus rufiremus). Better access to cold storage or processing facilities could add considerable value to this fishery.

• There are many informal reports and a limited amount of systematic data to support the contention that water pollution and habitat degradation, particularly from mining and forestry activities on the river systems of the interior, are having a negative impact on the spawning and growth of many freshwater species.

Ornamental fish industry

• There is a small but active trade in ornamental fish. In 1997 over five million of these fish were exported, with a value of G$36 million.

• Collectors catch ornamental fish mainly in riverain areas, utilising craft powered by outboard engines, and varying types of fishing gear (dragnets/seines, dipnets, pin-seines). Fish mortality rates are very high.

• It should be noted that some of the more valuable species are now being cultured in the U.S.A, and that this development may have a long-term impact on the demand for ornamental fish from countries like Guyana. Furthermore, some consumers in overseas markets are demanding that strict environmental standards be followed in the harvesting of ornamental fish. This also may have a negative impact on the industry’s development.

• Nevertheless, significant opportunities for exporting ornamental fish still exist, provided that the quality of catch is improved, suppliers move into pond production, and exports are made directly to Japan and the EEC. It is thought that some of the present exports to the U.S.A. are re-exported to those countries.

13.I.2.13 Although activities in aquaculture first started in Guyana in the 1950s, the development of the industry has been slow. It has been retarded by the lack of investment capital; inadequate technical skills; the utilisation of inappropriate technologies, equipment and inputs; and the almost total absence of research and training. Moreover, there has been very little foreign investment in the industry since investment prospects generally have been better elsewhere in the region.

13.I.2.14 Two forms of aquaculture are basically practised in the country: traditional extensive brackish water culture, and freshwater pond culture. Brackish water farms operate as extensive polyculture systems utilising the existing sluices and dams from the sea defence structures which control the exchange of water at high tide. In the empoldered areas, farmers often construct their own dikes and sluices to regulate the flow and exchange of water within individual ponds. In most cases, the trapped fish and shrimp grow to marketable sizes without any additional inputs. Brackish water culture occurs mainly in the swamps along the Atlantic Coast of the Corentyne. The average size of a farm is eleven hectares. Tilapia mossambia, Tilapia nilotica and, to a limited extent, Hoplosternum littoral (catfish), are the main species cultured in Guyana, in freshwater farms.

Sustainability

13.II.1.1 The key to the development of any type of fishery is long-term sustainability. If exploitation rates are not controlled, the continuous contribution of fisheries to GDP, exports, employment, and nutrition, will be significantly jeopardised. Conservation and management measures to control harvesting levels and protect stocks are therefore the highest priorities in the development of a strategy for the sustainable growth of Guyana’s fisheries sector.

13.II.1.2 Another basic area of concern, which has become a bottleneck for the development of the artisanal fishery, is the inadequacy of facilities for processing and cold storage, and the existing deficiencies in quality assurance.

Inland fisheries

13.II.1.3 The most pressing issues in this sector are (i) the need to protect the waterways from environmentally destructive practices associated with the expansion of mining and forestry operations, and (ii) the development of potential inland fisheries and aquaculture.

13.II.1.4 Pollution from mining activities and the use of chemicals and pesticides threaten these resources. Moreover, while fresh water stocks are relatively abundant in many areas, the indications are that their reproductive capabilities are limited. No effort should therefore be made to expand harvesting levels before the facts concerning their stocking and rates of reproduction are ascertained. The current and potential fisheries activities in hinterland communities must therefore be carefully examined; and appropriate development options, including fish stocking and aquaculture initiatives, be identified. Moreover, with six months of rain and six months of drought in inland areas, there is a need to improve methods for preserving fish to stretch the food supply through the year.

13.II.1.5 There is pressure to expand the harvesting of certain ornamental fish from the interior water systems. Concerns about stock conservation and a lack of in-depth knowledge of the market dynamics for ornamental species demand a cautious approach even here. With proper research and development, there may be potential to produce ornamental fish by means of aquacultural methods.

Aquaculture

13.II.1.6 The acquaculture industry is still in its infancy. However it has significant growth potential both for the production of low cost food supplies, and for processing and export. Aquaculture is the sub-sector of fisheries with the greatest potential for the expansion of production, the creation of employment and the generation of foreign exchange earnings. Very significant potential exists in both freshwater and brackish water aquaculture activities.

13.II.1.7 Although in some coastal areas the soils are acid – sulphate and thus inappropriate for aquaculture, many of the natural conditions that are required to raise shrimp and fish already exist in Guyana. The existence of a natural marine shrimp industry to provide post-larval shrimp to the ponds would be an important advantage in the early days, before the construction of hatcheries becomes feasible. Moreover, the infrastructure is already in place for the processing, marketing, and handling of shrimp and fish.

13.II.1.8 An in-depth investigation will be required to determine the overall economic potential for fish and shrimp culture, and to decide on the areas that might be suitable. However, it is already evident that development options include the more intensive use of creeks, canals and polder lands for food production for local markets, the introduction of new species (particularly shrimp), and the use of aquacultural techniques to produce ornamental fish for export. These investigations should be embarked upon as soon as possible.

13.II.1.9 The few currently operating tilapia culture facilities in Guyana are producing only 20 tonnes from 20 ha of ponds and employ perhaps 20 Guyanese. With a transfer of technology, a propitious policy environment, and entrepreneurship, it is conceivable that by the year 2004 Guyana could have 500 ha of ponds producing 2,500 mt of freshwater finfish annually, for the local market. This would imply approximately 100 freshwater farms and employment of about 1,000 Guyanese. By the year 2010 the area of ponds could be doubled, with corresponding increases in production and employment rates.

13.II.1.10 The only brackish water aquaculture currently being undertaken in Guyana consists of the operations along the Corentyne Coast. Those operations are extensive in nature and rely on natural tidal flows and wild post-larval shrimp and inputs of water and seed. The yields obtained from these operations are low, at only 0.2 mt per hectare per year.

13.II.1.11 A sustainable intensification of brackish water aquaculture in Guyana can occur only if the seed for the operations comes from a hatchery as opposed to a collection process from the wild. Of the 725 square miles of coastline surveyed in 1990 by the Department of Fisheries, 284 square miles were found to be suitable for brackish water aquaculture. If only a portion of this area is developed in a semi-intensive way, the potential for success is excellent. By the year 2004 it is conceivable that 2,000 hectares will be in semi-intensive operation, producing 4,000 mt of cultured shrimp from 200 farms and employing 2,000 Guyanese. It is envisaged that the operations would double in size, output, and labour absorption by 2010.

13.II.1.12 The prerequisites for the development of the sector are more applied research and development, greater levels of investment and modern technology, and more effective training and extension work with industry. There is an urgent need for the formulation of a regulatory framework that takes adequate account of environmental constraints, particularly in the foreshore areas.

Institutional Capabilities

13.II.1.13 The compelling paradox of Guyana’s fisheries is that during the period of strong industrial growth, the Government’s capacities to regulate and manage the industry were sharply reduced. Indeed the Government of Guyana has not been able to offer salary levels that are competitive with the private sector. As a result, qualified personnel currently occupy only 9 of the 32 professional and technical positions that are available in the Department of Fisheries. Today, with the rapid expansion of industry and the concomitant danger of over-exploitation, it is imperative that the Government’s ability to manage the sector and to plan and control its development be enhanced.

13.II.1.14 The Department of Fisheries should be provided with the budget and staff to collect and analyze data, regulate and monitor the domestic fisheries, promote aquaculture and other development options, provide adequate extension support to the fishermen’s cooperative societies, impart the training that the industry needs, and enforce Guyana’s sovereignty within its territorial waters.

International Fisheries Management

13.II.1.15 Current stock assessments suggest that the most important commercial fish stocks in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone are cross-boundary stocks. Effective management and stock conservation will therefore require cooperative initiatives with the governments of Suriname, Cayenne, Brazil, Venezuela, and Trinidad and Tobago. Indeed, there are already problems with illegal foreign fishing, and over-the-side sales within Guyana’s EEZ. The expansion of surveillance and enforcement activities should be carried out on a regional basis, with close cooperation and communication among the governments involved.

Cooperatives

13.II.1.16 Fishermen’s cooperative societies have played a crucial role in the mobilisation of artisanal fishermen, in education and training, and in the maintenance and management of fish landing sites. Through programmes which have been supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), to improve landing sites, and to establish a line of credit to purchase fisheries equipment, the cooperatives have contributed significantly to the growth of finfish exports.

13.II.1.17 The cooperatives should provide more services to their members and their communities in marketing and processing activities, and in fisheries management and conservation. They should develop their capacities to finance their own expansion, possibly through joint ventures with other investors, to improve their organisational and management practices, and to identify and correct their weaknesses. To accomplish these goals they will need strong support from extension workers of the Department of Fisheries and the Cooperatives Department.

13.II.1.18 To play a role in the improvement of marketing, both for export and for domestic sales, it is essential that they obtain cold storage equipment.

Marketing and Post-harvest Processing

13.II.1.19 Currency devaluation, competitive wage levels and a well-developed processing infrastructure have all contributed to the growth in sales of processed fish products. With declining prawn landings, the main prospect for export growth is now finfish from artisanal harvesters. There is also potential for the development of new pelagic fish products. Quality improvement also will be one of the keys to growth.

13.II.1.20 Limited cold storage and processing capabilities in the artisanal sector make it difficult for finfish exporters to expand their markets.

13.II.1.21 A lack of information and expertise related to international fish markets also inhibits the development of cottage industry exports.

13.II.1.22 Over-capacity in the industrial sector and under-capacity in the cottage industry processors are important issues to be addressed. There is also a need for improvements in market intelligence and quality control.

General

13.II.2.1 Some major commercial stocks are being exploited near or above maximum sustainable yields.

13.II.2.2 No arrangements are in place to manage or protect trans-boundary stocks.

13.II.2.3 The fisheries management system in Guyana is inadequate.

13.II.2.4 There are resource constraints in both the Department of Fisheries and the Guyana Coast Guard. Neither agency has an adequate surveillance vessel.

13.II.2.5 The fishing gear that is currently being utilised is inadequate and leads to excessive amounts of by-catch and the destruction of stocks of juvenile fish.

13.II.2.6 The mangrove habitat is being destroyed, thus reducing breeding grounds for shrimp and other species.

13.II.2.7 Guyana’s post-harvest infrastructure is underdeveloped throughout the country.

13.II.2.8 Industrial fishermen utilise outmoded technologies. They are consequently high-cost operators.

13.II.2.9 Very little market information is available in the artisanal sector.

13.II.2.10 There are very few management skills in the artisanal sector to enable its members to conduct self-sustaining businesses.

13.II.2.11 Our inland waterways are being damaged by environmentally destructive practices.

Constraints in Aquaculture

13.II.2.12 Operators are unable to obtain suitable freehold land or to secure leases of long duration.

13.II.2.13 Capital costs in the industry are high.

13.II.2.14 There is no coherent policy to promote investment in the sector.

13.II.2.15 There is little or no infrastructure to facilitate research, development and extension activities by the Department of Fisheries.

Institutional Constraints

13.II.2.16 The staff of the Department of Fisheries is undermanned, undertrained and underqualified in view of the duties they are asked to undertake.

13.II.2.17 The structure of the Department of Fisheries is archaic.

13.II.2.18 The facilities for data management, research, and general administration are most inadequate.

13.II.2.19 There is a dearth of qualified human resources to undertake research and extension activities in the Department of Fisheries.

Industrial Fishery

13.III.1.1 Shrimp trawling in waters shallower than 18 fathoms will be prohibited in order to reduce the damage to the juveniles, increase the total sustainable yield, and minimise conflicts with artisanal fishermen.

13.III.1.2 Regulations on turtle excluding devices (TEDs) in all trawlers, will be enforced, to protect diminishing turtle populations and to safeguard Guyana’s seafood exports to the U.S.A.

13.III.1.3 A programme of seasonal closures of the prawn fishery will be instituted during the approximately three months of most intensive recruitment of the species, for selected locations initially, so that the effects of the programme may be studied and properly evaluated.

13.III.1.4 The present monitoring system (vessel logbook and plant logbooks) for seabob and prawns will be improved and implemented to provide accurate information on catch.

13.III.1.5 A regional approach to management of the prawn resource will be encouraged and promoted. Guyana will pursue the fullest possible participation in the activities of the proposed Western Central Atlantic Fisheries Commission (WECAFC) Scientific and Advisory Committee for the Management of the Shrimp Fisheries of the Guyana-Brazil Management Area on Shrimp.

13.III.1.6 A study to determine the areas of high adult abundance and the level of seasonality of the seabob resource will be undertaken. This will be done with a view to reducing conflicts with artisanal fishermen and damage to nurseries and juveniles, and to determine whether a closed season is needed for seabob.

13.III.1.7 The annual fees for trawler licences will be significantly increased to reflect the true value of the resources and discourage their overexploitation. The licences will be made to be fully tradeable among boat owners.

13.III.1.8 The prawn trawler fleet will be rationalised by reducing the number of prawn trawler licences. Studies of the resource base will be conducted at intervals of three years to determine the specificities of the rationalisation.

13.III.1.9 After reviewing existing information to determine the appropriate size of the trawler fleet for demersal finfish, a limited entry approach will be introduced.

13.III.1.10 Mesh size and regulations for finfish trawling will be introduced in order to reduce the catch of juveniles.

13.III.1.11 An economic study of the industrial fishery will be undertaken to facilitate the establishment of an economic data base for use in bio-economic modeling and the continuous determination of suitable licence and voyage fees.

13.III.1.12 For large pelagic fisheries, joint ventures will be facilitated to encourage commercial investment, particularly for the deep slope fishery, in order to promote technology-transfer to local fishermen. This will be part and parcel of the general financial incentives to be provided to investors in all sectors of Guyana’s economy. However, the model based on factory ships ("mother ships") will not be pursued, because experience has shown that it does not bring significant benefits to the host country, but rather to the country of origin of the large ships. Moreover, it diminishes the amount of the exploitable resources that are left for local fishermen.

13.III.1.13 Given the highly migratory nature of the larger tunas and related species, management linkages with international regulatory bodies such as ICCAT will be developed, in order to access vital information to manage the fishery properly.

13.III.1.14 New regulations (licences, data requirements, restrictions on gear and mesh sizes, etc.) will be formulated for the pelagic fishery.

Artisanal Fishery

13.III.1.15 The registration and licencing of vessels will be made comprehensive. Gear will also be registered, by type. These actions will be carried out largely through collaboration with the Fishermen’s Cooperatives.

13.III.1.16 The general strategy to make available investment funds for micro-enterprises will embrace fishermen who are not owners of their boats and wish to purchase them.

13.III.1.17 Controls will be established over Chinese seines, which are the most damaging nets to juveniles, by registering all of them and phasing down the number that are permitted. Concomitantly, closed grounds and seasons will be established.

13.III.1.18 Minimum mesh sizes will be established and enforced for pin seines, drift nets, and nearshore nylon gill nets. The use of such nets will be restricted to specified fishing grounds, perhaps on a rotating basis, after adequate studies of the options are carried out. The hook sizes of Cadell lines will be regulated to ensure that only larger sizes of fish are targeted.

13.III.1.19 Strengthened mechanisms will be established for dialogue with artisanal fishermen on sustainable management issues, emphasis will be on the role of the Fishermen’s Cooperatives.

13.III.1.20 Limits will be placed on landings of shark and possibly mackerel, their levels to be established as a result of scientific studies of the resource.

13.III.1.21 A mangrove protection and management plan will be formulated in consultation with the concerned coastal communities, and implemented with their cooperation.

Monitoring and Surveillance

13.III.1.22 Arrangements will be made to assist in augmenting the resource of the Coast Guard by paying them fees for supplying services in the offshore, inshore and inland fishing zones. These service fees will be taken from the increased licensing charges to be levied on fishermen.

13.III.1.23 A Fisheries Surveillance and Enforcement Coordinating Committee will be established with suitable representatives of the Department of Fisheries, the Coast Guard, the Guyana Defence Force, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Customs and Excise Department, and the Marine Police. This Committee will plan, supervise and evaluate surveillance and enforcement operations, coordinate the development of legislation and regulations, and oversee the generation of adequate operational budgets for fisheries surveillance and enforcement operations through interdepartmental cooperation and sharing of resources.

Post-harvest Management (Processing and Marketing)

13.III.1.24 A feasibility study of fishmeal processing and marketing, both domestically and internationally, will be carried out and its results made available to the interested public.

13.III.1.25 Investment in cold storage facilities and ice making capacity for the operating fishport complexes and Fisherman’s Cooperatives will be encouraged through the fiscal measures that are described elsewhere in this NDS.

13.III.1.26 Access to freehold land for cottage processing facilities will be improved through the land tenure strategies that have been put forward in this NDS.

13.III.1.27 Procedures for approvals and licensing of processing plants will be simplified and speeded up.

13.III.1.28 A national export quality control system will be established with effective mechanisms for its monitoring and enforcement.

13.III.1.29 Rules and procedures for the export of fish products will be simplified.

13.III.1.30 Market intelligence services for the fishing industry will be expanded.

13.III.1.31 Training for the proper handling of fish for quality control will be provided to crews, onshore handlers, cottage processors, and marketing agents by the Fisheries Department. Suitable fees will be charged.

13.III.1.32 Trade missions will be undertaken to selected export markets, for all types of fish including ornamental fish.

Inland Fishery

13.III.1.33 Methods of preservation, such as salting and smoking, will be demonstrated in the rural floodplain and hinterland areas, to preserve fish during periods of glut, for sale during leaner periods. Priorities will be given to Amerindian communities.

13.III.1.34 Discussions will be developed with the principal fishing communities of the hinterland, so that they may participate in the development of operational plans for eliminating the use of explosives and poisons in fish harvesting, and for enforcing regulations on minimum mesh sizes in nets. NGOs will be urged to assist in these efforts, and the rural women’s networks will be utilised to the fullest in this undertaking.

13.III.1.35 A comprehensive assessment of inland fish resources and habitat will be carried out.

13.III.1.36 With the assistance of national and international NGOs, and the Amerindian Studies Unit at the University of Guyana, a survey will be undertaken of Amerindian involvement in fishing. Particular attention will be paid to problems and prospects.

13.III.1.37 A feasibility study for the development of a sport and recreational fishery in inland waters, that is linked to the overall development strategy for ecotourism, will be carried out.

13.III.1.38 A joint commission which will be formed with representatives of the Department of Fisheries, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, Amerindian leaders, and concerned NGOs, will be requested to develop regulations and procedures for controlling and mitigating the impact of mining on inland fish habitats, with special emphasis on the effects of missile dredges and alumina wastes.

Aquaculture

13.III.1.39 The land policies that are put forward in this NDS will be applied to aquaculture production.

13.III.1.40 Guyana will seek to join the Commission for Inland Fisheries of Latin America and the Caribbean (COPESCAL). Membership in that body will put Guyana in a position to share in and benefit from the experiences of other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

13.III.1.41 Two National Aquaculture Research Stations will be constructed, one a Freshwater culture Research Centre at Mon Repos, and the other a Brackish water Fish and Shrimp Research Centre, on a site still to be identified, but possibly in the North West.

13.III.1.42 Demonstration farms for both freshwater and brackish water culture will be established, both to improve deficiencies in technology transfer and to enhance the capacity of the Department of Fisheries to provide extension services.

13.III.1.43 The capacity of the extension services unit of the Department of Fisheries will be increased to include the delivery of fingerlings to interested parties as well as the tendering of advice on various aspects of aquaculture. A special extension subunit will be created to work with Amerindian communities in both freshwater culture (in the hinterland) and brackish water culture (in the North West).

Institutions

13.III.1.44 The Department of Fisheries will be reorganised and reconstituted as an autonomous Guyana National Fisheries Commission.

13.III.1.45 The Board of Directors for the Commission will be a Fisheries Advisory Board, and will comprise as follows:

- A representative of the Minister of Agriculture

- The Permanent Secretary of Agriculture

- A representative of the Minister of Finance

- A representative of the Coast Guard

- A representative of the Environmental Protection Agency

- A representatives of Fishermen’s Cooperatives

- A representative of the industrial processors

- A representative of the cottage producers

- A representative of the small exporters

13.III.1.46 The Chief Fisheries Officer will be an ex officio member of the Board.

Other Strategies

13.III.1.47 The Government will promote initiatives with the Governments of Venezuela, Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil to regulate and control fishing in transboundary areas.

13.III.1.48 A certificate programme in fisheries management and quality assurance will be initiated at the University of Guyana.

13.III.1.49 The Department of Fisheries will develop a programme, and oversee its implementation, for the improvement of working conditions for women in fish processing plants and markets.