Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha yesterday refused to name the holders of two controversial trawler licences even though he was specifically asked about this in a question lodged with Parliament.
APNU+AFC Member of Parliament Khemraj Ramjattan had tabled four questions in the House seeking clarification on the issuance of the licences amid discontent in the fishing sector.
Ramjattan had asked “To whom were the two new trawler licences issued to for years 2020-2021 by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries Department? Was there any due diligence conducted on these licence(s)? If there was any such due diligence done, could the Minister provide copies to this Honourable House of the said due diligence Report(s)? And was the Guyana Association of Trawler Owners and Seafood Processors Association (GATOSP) consulted in any way prior to the grant of the two trawler licences?”
Mustapha in a written reply to the question on the recipients of the licences stated, as he had done before, that they were issued to a well-established Guyanese operator in the fishing industry. While withholding the name of the individual or company, the minister said that the licences holder “complied with the requisite procedures and satisfied all legal requirements…”
On the question as to whether GATOSP was consulted prior to the grant of the trawler licences, Mustapha said he was not required to provide an answer to the question but noted that his ministry consults on a regular basis with each and every entity that falls under the ministry’s administration.
“In the same manner that you were not required to consult licensed firearm holders before you went and handed out hundreds of gun licenses, there is equally no requirement to consult with trawler owners and seafood processors for the grant of new licenses,” Mustapha responded.
Responding to the two remaining questions which asked if due diligence was conducted and for evidence to be provided to the House of this, Mustapha said he had no knowledge that a requirement for due diligence had to be conducted.
“In the Ministry of Agriculture, as indeed, every Ministry in our Government, decisions are based on a meritocracy and not on a caprice nor extraneous nor irrelevant considerations,” Mustapha said, while contending that the questions asked were “misconceived and erroneous as due diligence cannot be done on a ‘Licence’”.
Ramjattan, after reviewing the answers circulated to the House, told Stabroek News that they were “wholly outrageous” and said he was “stunned” by them and would need time to better react to the responses.
Since mid-November when GATOSP first brought the issue to the fore, questions have been asked about the circumstances under which the licences were issued.
The association in its first missive to the Minister of Agriculture stated that the two licences had been granted in contravention of sustainable fishing practices.
In an interview with Stabroek News last week, the minister had said that approval of the new licences, does not breach the quota of vessels that can operate nor does it threaten the international certification of the trade.
He justified the approval by explaining that several licences are inactive and the current number of trawlers operating does not exceed 80, while emphasising that it does not go against the agreement in place with GATOSP and international partners.
Following a meeting with the association last week, a committee comprising members from his ministry and GATOSP, will be installed to address the controversial issuance of the two new trawler licences for seabob fishing operations.
The minister had told this newspaper that the committee will be tasked with meeting regularly and will propose recommendations and solutions to key issues in the sector.
Mustapha added that the committee will not only meet to work out the issuance of the two trawler licences but also other findings unearthed from the ministry’s in-depth investigation. The ministry had launched an in-depth investigation into the sector subsequent to the trawlers association registering concern over the granting of the licences.
According to the extant agreement with GATOSP, no more than 87 vessels should be operating in the industry. The minister had pointed out that some licences are currently dormant.
The Ministry has faced criticism for the approval of the licences as they have the potential to decimate the industry, GATOSP had argued.
In its November letter to the Minister, GATOSP had said that the addition of any vessel to the current licensing agreements is in contravention of the pact that it and the Fisheries Department of the ministry had agreed to.
The GATOSP letter also stated that members had been alerted of the two new licences after reports began circulating in the fishing community. It added that some level of confirmation surfaced afterwards when the supposed holder of the new licences approached the owner of one of the seabob processing plants for an agreement whereby the plant would process the shrimp caught by his vessel.
Given the implications, the WWF Guianas’ local office had also written to Mustapha seeking clarification on the context in which the licences were granted. “…We would be grateful if you can provide any information you may have in relation to this matter,” Aiesha Williams, Guyana Country Manager for the WWF Guianas, wrote in the December 11 letter, saying there was need to better understand the context in which the licences were issued.
Williams also expressed concern over the reported issuance of the new licences in a manner that could have “deep implications” for the country’s ability to maintain its Maritime Stewardship Council (MSC) certification over seabob.
Guyana holds the position as the number one exporter of seabob shrimps. In 2019 almost 21,000 metric tonnes were exported, versus 2018 when 22,000 metric tonnes were shipped out.
