Trawler owners and seafood processors have voiced alarm at reports that the Ministry of Agriculture has issued two new trawling licences in contravention of a years-long agreement to ensure sustainable fishing of seabob and other species.
As a result, the Guyana Association of Trawler Owners and Seafood Processors (GATOSP) has written Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha for clarification and warning that new licences could jeopardise the sustainable certification that they had secured from the international Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
In the letter dated 19th November, 2020, GATOSP President Reuben Charles said that in light of all the management initiatives in place and the low catches of seabob, new licences would be harmful to the sustainable management of fish resources.
