Former and current fishermen are among those behind a string of attacks on fishing vessels and are being encouraged by a thriving market for stolen engines and nets.

Over the weekend eight boats were attacked by a band of pirates operating in the Berbice River. The pirates, who were all armed with shotguns, stripped each vessel of its outboard engine and carried away foodstuff and other articles.

Following the attack some of the fishermen have been complaining about the government's ineffective role and also cast blame on the GDF Coast Guard for not patrolling the area regularly. The men are also planning protest action to have their matter dealt with.

During an interview with this newspaper yesterday, Manager of the Georgetown Fisherman's Co-op Society, Mohamed Khan noted that piracy is an old issue. Khan, a veteran fisherman, recalled that from 1975 to 1985 attacks on fishing vessels soared. Things improved but for the past couple of years these attacks have resurfaced dramatically, he noted.

He said several senior officials are aware of those persons involved, but for some reason the men have not been arrested and charged.

He mentioned that there are four areas notorious for piracy, those being Essequibo, Mahaica, Number 64 Village, Corentyne and Waini Point. He said all four areas have bases for the pirates, all of whom are either former or current fishermen.

He said the Georgetown Fisherman's Co-op usually imports fishing gear and sells it to fishermen. He said over years they have hardly had any sales and yet all of the fishing vessels are well furnished with nets, engines and other equipment. Khan contended that while some fishermen purchased their nets and engines from the stores the majority bought from pirates.

Khan said he had information that Guyanese fishermen would usually steal their colleagues' engines and nets and sell them to fishermen in Venezuela, Suriname and Cayenne, French Guiana. Likewise, fishermen from those countries would steal their colleagues' equipment and sell them to Guyanese.

"So these engines that were stolen on Saturday, they will not sell them in Guyana and so it is even more difficult for the police and GDF to catch up with the real bandits. It is a whole network of thieves, who continue to do these things."

Khan noted that while some of the fishermen were corrupt, many are trying to earn a decent living. "And it is those men who are suffering, some of them were forced out of the business because of the same situation."

Asked what his organisation is doing to stem these attacks, Khan said, "First of all fishermen have to stop buying stolen equipment. Once the pirates get buyers their business will continue to flourish and they carry on robbing boats."

Apart from that, Khan recommended that the GDF should conduct more patrols not only in the Berbice River but in the other three areas.

Khan noted that a year ago the co-op had suggested that the government have officers visit all fishing ports and check on boat engines for their serial numbers, and look at receipts for nets. He said no action was taken in this regard. Also, they had proposed that checks should be made on those trucks that transport outboard engines to the interior and also for inspectors to check the engines used by farmers. But nothing was done.

Meanwhile, GDF Coast Guard Commander Terrence Pyle said his department is still hamstrung by the lack of both human and physical resources. He said it could not be in all the rivers at the same time.

He told Stabroek News yesterday the GDF was briefed about Saturday's attack and an officer was dispatched to the area to conduct investigations with regard to the modus operandi of the pirates. He said once those investigations were completed, the GDF could adjust its strategy to stem the piracy.

Acknowledging that they could do more even with their scarce resources, Pyle said information was not forthcoming from the fishermen themselves and as such he questioned whether their claims were always genuine.

Speaking about the Mahaica fishing port, Khan told this newspaper that he had personally made an intervention for the police to go into the area and carry out a raid, but the ranks are afraid.

He alleged that in the Mahaica Creek area corruption was rampant, noting that beer, cigarettes and fuel were usually smuggled into the country by fishermen who would pretend that they were catching fish. He said that only recently 186 barrels of smuggled fuel were seized by Customs from Mahaica-based fishermen at Mon Repos. The matter is in court, Khan said.

He added that the police in the area are aware of most of these things, but the pirates are heavily armed and have links with officials. He said boat fuel was usually smuggled through the Mahaica Creek route and sold to fishermen on the East Coast, the Corentyne and other fishing ports.

Khan explained that the large boats with inboard diesel engines are hardly ever attacked except for pirates stealing their nets. These types of boats carry with them radio network systems and would mainly fish out of the Georgetown area.

Then there are about 600 vessels with outboard engines which operate mainly in Venezuela, Cayenne, Suri-name and Guyana. Besides, they would have counterpart licences which give them the right to fish in the neighbouring countries.

Khan told Stabroek News that it was these types of boats that were attacked on Saturday and would continue to suffer if things did not improve. He said these vessels need to be equipped with radios but he does not believe that the fishermen should be issued with firearms.

"These pirates operate with big guns and the minute they realise the fishermen have guns they would kill them," Khan said.

He recalled that last year there was a major pirate attack at Waini Point where all of the pirates were fishermen from the East Coast. Khan said these men have now settled in the area and are the prime suspects behind all attacks within the Georgetown and Parika ports. He said two weeks ago police from the Ruimveldt station apprehended one of the men in a boat at the Georgetown wharf. Khan said for three days the man was detained and fishermen who suffered in last year's attack at Waini Point were asked to report to the station to identify the man. But Khan said this never happened since the police released the man.

Khan argued that the GDF did not have the capabilities at the moment to stop these attacks. He said the army's main patrol vessel was too large for the waters where the attacks were usually carried out. The army has smaller boats but these cannot patrol for long hours since their fuel capacity is small.