The Government of Suriname has not yet issued the 150 SK fishing licences to Guyanese fishermen, which were promised in 2021 following an agreement between the two countries, and President Irfaan Ali on Thursday said that he was dissatisfied at the situation.
At a public meeting in Crabwood Creek, Berbice on Thursday, Ali stressed, “We are working on it very hard, trust me, every meeting up to two months ago, we are dissatisfied with the situation but we are promised that a solution will be proposed at the next joint commission meeting that is what (Suriname) President (Chandrikapersad) Santokhi would have said that they are working on some options to give us.”
On Thursday, a fisherman relayed that presently less than half of Guyana’s fishing boats from that area which usually operate in Suriname are able to do so this year due to the licence issues as well as the new processes that were forced on them after news broke of Suriname’s promise to issue the 150 SK fishing licences.
“I am a fisherman for twenty-five years, this is a couple well years now we get promise (for the licence), from last year and this year from Skeldon to Crabwood Creek we have like 50 fishing vessel and right now for this year of the 50 only twenty can go because we don’t have the licence.”
In March of this year, President Santokhi, who provided an update to the Sunday Stabroek had 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 realized 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 had 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, 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 said 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 solved 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 in March had told this newspaper that there had been attempts to raise the issue at every forum possible.
He noted too that fisherfolk were still facing several issues while plying their trade.
Last year, Mustapha had said he was disappointed with how 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 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.
