Dear Editor,
A recent article in the Kaieteur News discussed the decrease of fish and shrimp landed in Guyana over the last three years. The article alludes to the possibility that there is a connection between the observed decrease in catch and the possible contamination and reduction in salinity of the ocean environment arising from the oil drilling operations off the coast of Guyana. The decrease in catch due to reduced salinity is a distinct possibility, as a result of a fundamental habitat change, but I doubt that oil drilling over the last couple of years could have had such a dramatic impact on the salinity in the waters in offshore Guyana. Much more plausible is the changed hydrological regime, caused by the change in weather patterns arising from climate change in the Amazon and Orinoco basins and indeed, in all the river basins that empty into the Atlantic. This could result in larger than normal volumes of fresh water entering the ocean environment, leading to a reduction in the level of salinity that might impact our fisheries industry. This would also eventually impact fisheries in the wider Caribbean. This can be compounded by another climate related phenomenon that we should consider i.e., rising sea surface temperatures. There is evidence globally that species have been migrating to cooler and deeper waters, creating serious challenges for artisanal fisherfolk ,who have to extend their range and modus operandi of their operations to ensure that they get a favourable catch.
The dramatic fall in catch is a wakeup call for the necessity to put in place a comprehensive monitoring system for our ocean environment, so that we can fully understand the changes that are taking place and how these changes impact the ecosystem services that they provide. Apart from physical characteristics such as temperature and salinity, monitoring for chemical contamination and other physical habitat disruption, especially in view of offshore drilling operations, must now be a priority on Guyana’s list of things to do, to ensure that the integrity of our ocean environment is not compromised beyond recovery.
Yours faithfully,
Ulric O’D Trotz
