After two months of defiance, the Ministry of Agriculture yesterday finally released the name of the owner of two trawling licences, the issuing of which had roiled the industry and raised questions about transparency.
The Agriculture Ministry in a statement identified the holder of the licences as Rampersaud Sookhdeo of La Jalousie, West Coast Demerara. The release said that records indicate that Sookhdeo has been in the fishing industry for over fifteen years and was operating under the name Haseed Enterprise in Trinidad and Tobago. He employs a number of Guyanese in his operations but was forced to relocate from Trinidad to Guyana because of Covid-19 restrictions and regulations, the release added.
However, when this newspaper made checks in the community yesterday, villagers were unsure of the person referred to. Stabroek News during its visit to the community was directed to an address where a person with that name resides but verification efforts were unsuccessful as the man was not at home and his wife who spoke to the reporter via phone said her husband was out of the country and she was in no position to comment.
It is unclear why a recent re-migrant from Trinidad would be given licences in breach of an agreement with the Guy-ana Association of Trawler Operators and Seafood Processors (GATOSP) and jeopardising international certification on sustainable fishing.
Stabroek News learnt that persons in the trawler industry made several checks but they too were unable to verify the identity of the holder of the licences. An internet search yielded no information about Sookhdeo or Haseed Enterprise in Trinidad.
The ministry in its statement said that the name of the licences holder was being released in line with government’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha had weeks ago told this newspaper that the licences were granted to “locals who are reputable fishermen.”
Just last week Mustapha failed to provide the name of the holder to the National Assembly even though he was specifically asked about this in a question lodged with Parliament.
APNU+AFC Member of Parliament Khemraj Ramjattan had tabled four questions in the House seeking clarification on the issuance of the licences amid discontent in the fishing sector.
Justifying his refusal to furnish the name of the licences holder in Parliament, the statement yesterday said that Mustapha “answered all the questions posed with as much candor and frankness as possible but did not disclose the name of the recipient of the licenses, in keeping with extant Parliamentary practices which have been sustained and upheld by repeated rulings of different Speakers of the House.”
The ministry went on to say that certain section of the media “wrongly interpreted the omission of the name of the recipient of the Licenses, as a deliberate non-disclosure… [and failed] to recognize that the Honourable Minister was simply complying with extant parliamentary practice and procedures of not disclosing names of persons in answers to questions posed in the House.”
Ramjattan, after reviewing the answers by Mustapha circulated to the House, had told Stabroek News that they were “wholly outrageous” and said he was “stunned” by them.
He later told this newspaper that “I never asked for a description of the licensee. My question was seeking out the person, whether an individual or corporate. Whether it was Singh or any other whether incorporated or not, for that matter. So not to give a name is just surprisingly outrageous!”
According to the shadow minister of Agriculture, Mustapha should have known the names since he was the one who granted the licences.
Curiosity
“The two licences were granted to a licensee, and this grant was made by the Minister, he must know the name of this licensee, especially so in the context of huge public curiosity created by the Minister’s unwillingness to forward the name to the press,” he argued.
The ministry’s statement yesterday said that a committee to handle the issuance of the licences will soon be convened. The committee comprises the Ministry’s Director General, Madanlall Ramraj and includes Reuben Charles, Leslie Ramalho, Dawn Maison of GATOSP, the Chief Fisheries Officer, Denzil Roberts and the Chief Technical Officer, George Jervis.
The committee was birthed after a long overdue meeting with GATOSP held earlier this month.
In its November, 2020 letter to the Minister, GATOSP had said that the addition of any vessel to the current licensing agreements is in contravention of the pact that it and the Fisheries Department of the ministry had agreed to.
Given the implications, the WWF Guianas’ local office had also written to Mustapha seeking clarification on the context in which the licences were granted. “…We would be grateful if you can provide any information you may have in relation to this matter,” Aiesha Williams, Guyana Country Manager for the WWF Guianas, wrote in the December 11 letter, saying there was need to better understand the context in which the licences were issued.
Williams also expressed concern over the reported issuance of the new licences in a manner that could have “deep implications” for the country’s ability to maintain its Maritime Stewardship Council (MSC) certification over seabob.
Guyana holds the position as the number one exporter of seabob shrimps. In 2019 almost 21,000 metric tonnes were exported, versus 2018 when 22,000 metric tonnes were shipped out.
But Mustapha during an interview with this newspaper had stated that that approval of the new licences does not breach the quota of vessels that can operate nor does it threaten the international certification of the trade.
He justified the approval by explaining that several licences are inactive and the current number of trawlers operating does not exceed 80, while emphasising that it does not go against the agreement in place with GATOSP and international partners.
According to the extant agreement with GATOSP, no more than 87 vessels should be operating in the industry. The minister had pointed out that some licences are currently dormant.
The Ministry has faced criticism for the approval of the licences as they have the potential to decimate the industry, GATOSP had argued.
