Plan for sustainable harvesting of Arapaima launched
By Chamanlal Naipaul
Guyana Chronicle
April 21, 2007
A management plan for the sustainable harvesting of Arapaima, one of the largest fresh water fish in the world, was launched at Annai, North Rupununi yesterday. This is expected to ensure that Amerindians continue their traditional methods of earning a livelihood without threatening the extinction of this rare species of fish.
The goal of the plan is to develop a system whereby organised fishermen will aim to recover the Arapaima population by regulating and sharing the number of Arapaima harvested, using scientific data and common sense.
Under the plan, fishermen will only harvest adult Arapaima but would not do so while the fish is in a reproductive mode, and trading of the species will be centralised aiming for high prices for high quality product.
Agriculture Minister Mr. Robert Persaud offered that the launching of the plan is significant in that it is further evidence of the government’s commitment to sustainable development, as well as being part of the wider fisheries sector which accounts for two percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), comprising marine, inland and aquaculture fishing activities.
In addition, he disclosed that 11,000 families depend on fishing for their livelihood.
Persaud expressed optimism that the plan will be successful in ensuring the sustainable harvesting of the fish, once there is effective monitoring, surveillance, collaboration and cooperation among stakeholders.
The minister also announced several initiatives which will be pursued by his Ministry to increase the productive capacity of the national fishing industry, including expansion of aquaculture, developing a facility at Mon Repos for recreational/educational fishing purposes, use of flooded cane fields by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO) for the production of fish, and the reorganisation of the Fisheries Department for greater efficiency and effective supervision of fishing resources.
Director General of the Iwokrama Rainforest Centre, Dr. David Singh, said the plan decentralises the management of fishing resources in the community and puts its management “squarely in the hands” of residents.
He added that this participatory approach will lead to better management because the people who will be in control are directly connected to the resources.
He recalled that since the 1953 Fisheries Act, the harvesting of Arapaima was outlawed. But in the 1960s, when trading with neighbouring Brazil started, illegal harvesting led to a decrease in the population of the fish.
He also stressed the importance of conservation of the fish, pointing out that it is a part of a larger ecosystem which its absence or decrease would harm.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Dindyal Permaul, noted that the management plan provides for the exclusive fishing rights of the indigenous population, and he asked them to report to the police and share information on illegal fishing.
Executive Director of the North Rupununi District Development Board, Rodney Davis, observed that the ideas for the management plan originated from the community and urged the continuation of such a spirit, noting that it was patterned after a similar successful Brazilian project.
He also indicated that harvesting will be done after counts to determine the population of the fish and quotas will be allocated to various communities.