Fishing licence woes: “We are not running away from our responsibility” – Pres Santokhi

…says looking for “best solution” for both Guyana & Suriname

Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi has reassured Guyanese that his Government was not running away from honouring its years-old commitment to resolve the age-old fishing licence issue.
Following a high-level meeting in Guyana during August 2021 between President Dr Irfaan Ali and President Santokhi, the Surinamese Government had committed to issue 150 fisherfolk here with licences starting from January 2022 to operate in Suriname’s territorial waters.
Guyanese fishermen operate from the Corentyne Coast and have to use the Corentyne River to get access to the Atlantic where they get most of their catch. The Corentyne River is Surinamese territory. Over recent years, however, with the failure of the Suriname Government to uphold its pledge, Guyanese fisherfolk are being exploited and made to pay exorbitant fees to rent licences that are issued to Surinamese businessmen in order to operate in the border river.

Priority
Last week, on the sidelines of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Heads of Government Conference held in Guyana, President Santohki assured that this issue was on the agenda for dialogue between the two countries. In fact, he noted that President Ali was scheduled to visit Paramaribo later this year and it would be a priority topic.
Asked by Guyana Times whether there could be a resolution this year, the Surinamese leader explained that there were some legal issues in his country that could require parliamentary amendments or a new agreement between the two countries. Nevertheless, he reassured that a decision in the best interest of both countries would be taken.

“It is on agenda, let us look at what the views are [when President Ali visit Paramaribo]. You have to take into consideration that this case was thoroughly examined by both sides and one of the issues is that there are some legal implications. But we are leaders who solve things. If things need to be solved in the Parliament, if things need to be solved in agreement, if things need to be solved within the spirit of Caricom Treaty, we have to do it but we are not running away from our responsibility to take a proper decision… The question is on the agenda and we’re looking for the best solution in the interest of both countries,” President Santokhi affirmed.

Fishing licences issue
Back in March last year, operators in the local fishing industry along the Corentyne had called on the Guyana Government to apply more pressure on its Surinamese counterpart to resolve the fishing licences issue.
Authorities in Nickerie, Suriname, only issue licences to business persons in the Dutch-speaking country, who must own a boat and have been paying taxes in that country. Those licensed persons, in turn, rent the permits to Guyanese fisherfolk at an additional 200 per cent markup on the already 500 per cent they had been demanding.
Licences are issued by Surinamese authorities to fish in its waters for SR$2500 which is approximately US$70. In Nickerie, some Surinamese secure dozens of licences, which are then rented to Guyanese for usually US$3000 annually, but they increased this fee last year to as much as US$5000.
In March 2023, it was reported that about 250 licences are being rented – an increase from 150. In light of this growing demand by local fisherfolk, the Surinamese licence holders have been demanding between US$4000 and US$6000 in rental fees for the permit document.
Moreover, Guyanese fisherfolk had complained that this high demand locally has led to much corruption with some licences are being rented to two persons.

Not happy
President Ali had previously expressed that his Government was not happy with the way Guyanese fisherfolk are currently treated.
Fisherfolk previously explained to Guyana Times that a 1980 agreement between the two countries stated that the Dutch-speaking country must issue 50 licences directly to Guyanese fisherfolk, but this was stopped in 2003. However, Suriname has argued that under its Constitution, it cannot license non-nationals to operate in its waters.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha had previously bemoaned that the impasse on the issuance of the fishing licences still exists, despite a number of bilateral talks on the matter between Guyana and Suriname. This is after he had submitted, since December 2020, a list of Guyanese fishermen who require licences to operate in Surinamese waters. That list was handed over to Surinamese Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Prahlad Sewdien, who had acknowledged receipt of the document and assured Mustapha that the fishing licences would be issued from January 1, 2021.
Given that stalemate, the Agriculture Minister had left the matter to his Cabinet colleague – Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd, to deal with the matter through diplomatic channels.

Diplomatic resolution
But in September 2022, the Guyana Government said efforts at a diplomatic resolution had so far failed.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry had released a statement recounting the sequence of events from the time it got involved in attempting to resolve the fishing licence impasse between Suriname and Guyana.
According to the Ministry, despite Suriname agreeing since 2020 to grant the licences, this did not materialise.
“In agreeing to the granting of the licences, the Government of Suriname indicated that it would set up a Government-owned company to be the business partner of the Guyanese fishermen with which they will sign a Vessel-basing Agreement, and which will take care of the registration of the vessels of the Guyanese fishermen. This was in keeping with Suriname’s fishing legislation.”
“The Government of Suriname also proposed the conclusion of a Fisheries Agreement between the two countries which would also address the granting of licences. Guyana continued to engage in the discussions with Suriname in good faith with the expectation that they would result in a mutually-beneficial arrangement,” the Foreign Ministry had stated.
The Ministry went on to note that Guyana had complied with all the requirements Suriname set out for granting the licences, adding that it was evident that diplomacy has so far failed at getting the licences for the fishermen to fish unharassed.
In fact, Minister Todd had met his Surinamese counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Cooperation of Suriname, Albert Ramdin, in April 2023 during which the fishing licence issue was among the issues discussed.
Later that same month, it was reported by a Surinamese news outlet, United News, that Guyana had imposed a trade embargo on agricultural products from the Dutch-speaking nation. That allegation was levied against Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, who was accused by the Association of Surinamese Manufacturers of retaliating against the non-issuance of the fishing licences.
However, VP Jagdeo had said while he was unaware of any such embargo on Surinamese products, he noted that Guyana has phytosanitary standards to maintain.

Suriname-Guyana Chamber
Nevertheless, with the recent establishment of the Suriname-Guyana Chamber of Commerce (SGCC), which was inaugurated by President Santokhi in Georgetown last month, stakeholders in the local fishing industry are now hoping for “affirmative action on the elusive fishing licences.”
“It would be a hallmark achievement for the SGCC, were this to happen,” one letter writer penned in a February 2024 letter to the editor that was published in Guyana Times. (Vahnu Manikchand)