Seabob harvest equivalent to U.S.$50M annually – FAO rep

OVER 9,000 metric tonnes of seabob was exported by Guyana in 2018, valued at just over G$7 billion, while the current annual harvest is approximately 20,000 tonnes, worth an estimated U.S.$50M.
This is according to Gillian Smith, a representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) to Guyana.

This makes the seabob Guyana’s most important seafood export. Approximately 87 licensed trawlers and 305 artisanal fyke net (fish trap) vessels do harvesting, as well as processing facilities.
Guyana is the world’s largest producer of the Atlantic seabob, a commercially important shrimp that is caught from the Atlantic coast of the U.S., all the way down to Brazil.

In Guyana, seabob is fished by both industrial trawlers and by artisanal fishers. Most of the industrial catch is processed into frozen, peeled shrimp to supply both local and international markets.

Smith noted that the three largest processing facilities employ some 1,600 individuals, 45 per cent of whom are women. It is anticipated that local demand may rise due to more persons coming to work in the emerging oil-and-gas sector.

Smith noted that a recent stock assessment of Guyana’s seabob population revealed that it is healthy, but fully exploited.

“The continued success of the seabob industry is therefore dependent on strong management of the natural resources stock for sustainability, minimisation of waste and detrimental practices, maintaining competitiveness in the global marketplace, and close collaboration and partnership by the key stakeholders. The success of each stakeholder is heavily dependent on sustainable practices by everyone in the industry,” she noted.

The industry, Smith said, has already built a reputation for collaborative management, including the recent MSC certification process of commercial fishers.
Building on this, the FAO rep noted that the FISH4ACP (Fish and Aquaculture) was recently launched to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the Atlantic seabob fisheries in Guyana, thereby strengthening the value chain.

This is done, she said “by working closely with all stakeholders to understand the interlinkages of the entire industry (from input supplies, fishing, processing and packaging, marketing, distribution, export, and sales), it possible to identify and address issues and opportunities that can improve the incomes and livelihoods of all stakeholders.”

The FISH4ACP, Smith explained, is an initiative of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), working with selected countries in those regions to improve important fishing industries.
It is implemented by the FAO with funding from the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

“In Guyana, our work with the seabob value chain started in November 2020, with a value-chain assessment. The results of this step will be of tremendous importance. We are working closely with the Fisheries Department, the University of Guyana, and other stakeholders to gather information on the main environmental, economic, and social challenges of the seabob fishery. The results of this assessment will lead to more sustainable practices in the fishery,” Smith emphasised.

FISH4ACP, she said, is particularly focusing on maximising the productivity of small-scale fishers and enhancing the potential of women and youth to contribute to efficiency in the sector. The programme will also assist efforts to reduce bycatching of endangered species, such as the electric ray.
This project will be implemented over five years and success stories will be featured throughout the life of the project.