Although the government of Suriname had promised in 2021 to issue 150 SK fishing licences to Guyanese fishermen, following an agreement between the two countries this has not yet been done and Suriname’s President is now saying that further discussions have to be carried out.
President of Suriname Chan Santokhi, who provided an update this week to the Sunday Stabroek said that the matter was still on the “agenda”. He said his government was not running away from its responsibility to make a “proper decision.”
In 2021, an agreement between Suriname and Guyana was reached for 150 fisherfolk here to be granted licences by Paramaribo starting January 2022. This is still to be realised after pushback from licence holders in Nickerie who currently rent licences to Guyanese and stand to lose revenue.
Noting that the matter has received “a lot of attention in Suriname as well as in Guyana”, Santokhi said, “it’s on the agenda we agreed at the political high level to solve this issue by dialogue; to look to all the possibilities, to look at the interests of both countries. We are neighbouring countries, and I am very pleased that this is on the agenda on the platform… that platform will meet this year in Suriname as a written agreement between Suriname and Guyana. President Ali will come to Suriname and this will be a topic.”
According to Santokhi, then based on all the information “what we will get on both sides then we can see what kind of decision will be the best decision.”
He further claimed that on the Suriname side there are some “legal issues” which need amendments. “Another option is that we just sign an agreement on it, but the question is on the agenda and we are looking for the best solution in the interest of both countries,” he stressed.
“You have to take into consideration that this case was thoroughly examined on both sides and one of the issues was there are some legal implications… If things need to be solved in parliament, things need to be solved in an agreement. If things need to be solve within the spirit of the Caricom Treaty, we have to do it. but it is on the agenda, and we are not running away from our responsibility to take a proper decision.”
Surinamese purchase yearly fishing licences for US$50 and rent them to Guyanese fisherfolk. Stabroek News was told that rented licences for 2023 were the highest ever, costing Guyanese between US$4,000 and US$6,000. Before the issue arose, annual licences were being rented to Guyanese for US$2,500 and US$3,000.
Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha told this publication that there had been attempts to raise the issue at every forum possible.
He noted too that fisherfolk were still facing a number of issues while plying their trade.
Last year, Mustapha had said he was disappointed with the way in which the situation was stalled, adding that it was a show of bad faith by Suriname’s Minister of Agriculture.
Mustapha then had also stressed that Guyana supplied all of the documents and requirements that were requested by the Surinamese authorities so as to have the licences issued, but that they had not responded. He noted that a “firm commitment” had been made and he will continue to raise the matter.
In September 2022, Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a chronology of events leading up to the impasse after Suriname breached its agreement to provide the licences.
According to the details provided, the issue was discussed at the presidential level in 2020. Following the first meeting of the Agriculture Working Group under the SDCP, which was convened in Suriname in November 2020, Guyana requested that Suriname issue 150 SK licences to Guyanese fishermen to fish offshore Suriname.
Agreeing to grant the licences, the Government of Suriname indicated that it would set up a government-owned company to be the business partner of the Guyanese fishermen with which they would sign a “vessel-basing agreement”, and which will take care of the registration of the vessels of the Guyanese fishermen. This was in keeping with Suriname’s fishing legislation.
The Government of Suriname also proposed the conclusion of a Fisheries Agreement between the two countries which would also address the granting of licences. Guyana continued to engage in the discussions with Suriname in good faith with the expectation that they would result in a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Suriname’s Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries also requested the names of the middlemen from whom the Guyanese fishermen were renting their licences. Further, a number of criteria were outlined for the formation of the company.
The statement stressed that “Guyana complied with all the other requirements of Suriname for the setting up of the company and after some reluctance on the part of the Guyanese fishermen, the names of the middlemen were eventually handed over to the Surinamese Government.”
At that time, the foreign ministers of Guyana and Suriname also remained in communication on the issue.Guyana’s Foreign Minister Hugh Todd wrote to his Surinamese counterpart, Minister Albert Ramdin on 13 August 2021, reminding him of Suriname’s commitment to issue the licences.
The Presidents of Guyana and Suriname met between 17-20 August 2021 in Georgetown and discussed the issuance of SK fishing licences to Guyanese fisherfolk. The Joint Communique issued by the presidents from those discussions committed “that both ministers responsible would work towards the issuance of fishing licences in that category by January 1, 2022, keeping in mind the established quota on the Surinamese side.” However, several months following that nothing further was heard from Suriname, and Todd again wrote a letter dated 20 December 2021, to his Surinamese counterpart reminding him of the commitment and urging his intervention in bringing about a resolution of that outstanding matter.
Todd received a response dated January 6, 2022, from Ramdin in which he suggested that the ministers of Agriculture of both countries convene a meeting on January 13, 2022 in order to reach an agreement. That meeting was never held.
Then at the Guyana/Suriname/Brazil Tripartite Summit, which was held in Suriname on 20 January 2022, the presidents of Guyana and Suriname met, and the licences were again discussed. President Santokhi indicated that he remained committed to the issuance of SK licences to Guyanese fishermen. However, Guyana did not receive any further formal or substantive communication from Suriname on the issue.
At present, Region Six has an average of 1,500 fishermen.
