Photos by Orlando Charles
It was a normal sunny mid-morning in Georgetown. Everyone went about their business as usual – that is, everyone, except for a few small-scale fishermen. Usually, at that hour, the coastline would be almost empty of fishing boats except for a boat or two but today the coastline was populated with a dozen or more.
The reason for a more than dozen boats being moored along the coastline can be learnt when one listens in as the fishermen chatted noisily. Some spoke about when their next trip would be and if it would be successful, while others debated whether they should continue fishing. Whatever their life-changing prospect was about, they were only too happy to speak to Stabroek News. Along the coast of Georgetown, are many changes that are hidden from the eyes of most of the everyday visitor. Yet, a fisherman can tell a tale and much more, when given the opportunity. Seewh, popularly known as ‘Sella’ has been fishing off the coast of Georgetown for 50 years. He went on his first fishing trip at the tender age of nine and immediately “fell in love.” Fifty years on, Sella’s feelings for his trade have not changed which he continues to ply as a small-scale fisherman, albeit with a lot more worries. For most of his career, fishing was good but in the past few years he began to recognize the changes that were occurring around him.