Crew members of the two Venezuelan boats nabbed fishing in Guyana’s waters last Sunday are concerned a companion vessel might have been lost at sea.
Stabroek News understands that the two captains - Otilla and Rafael Gonzales - have told local police that they had encountered a storm and had been separated from a third vessel, prior to being intercepted by the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard.
Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent David Ramnarine told Stabroek News on Friday, “We don’t know whether the crew has drowned or whether they have sailed into another port, but our investigations, so far, involve contacting the Venezuelan authorities about the disappearance of the third boat.”
The vessels, both bearing the same name - Isla de Congrego - were intercepted at about 9:30am on Sunday, bringing to four, the total number of foreign vessels caught in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the space of a month.
To the amazement of local officials, a six-year-old boy was found aboard one of the boats. The child was the only person speaking some English, thereby enabling law enforcers to ascertain that the fishermen were Venezuelans. No documents were found on board either vessel.
The eight crew members as well as the child are still being held at Mabaruma in the North West District. Stabroek News was unable to ascertain what happened to the 5,000 odd pounds of shark found on the two boats.
During last month the Venezuelans reaped a minimum of 85,000 pounds of mixed fish, and several crates of other seafood from Guyana’s waters, while local fishermen adhered to a closed season pact to allow marine life to propagate.
This amount was calculated from the catch of two other vessels that were intercepted - one week apart from each other.
Officials believe a lot more fish is stolen from Guyana’s waters, because whenever one vessel is nabbed, often many others manage to escape. The captains are usually fined and allowed to return home with their vessels, but minus the catch. (Kim Lucas)