Improved data, sustainable management, as Guyana wraps up regional fisheries workshop

Guyana is currently hosting a training workshop on fisheries statistics and data analysis. The workshop, which will end today, commenced on November 11 and was organised by the Fisheries Department of Guyana, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the University of the West Indies (UWI), and the EU-funded project, FISH4ACP programme.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) the main goal of this workshop is to enhance the capacity of fisheries professionals from Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Head Trainer at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Yann Laurent explained that the workshop will serve as a platform to educate stakeholders within the fishing industry about advanced and modern data collection methods.
“This training is essential for fisheries officers and extension workers to understand advanced methods used for collecting quality data from the field—particularly from remote or difficult-to-access fishing communities along the coastlines of Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago,”
Dr Laurent added that “it’s important to gather information on activities such as catch volumes, frequency, and more, which often occur in isolated communities. This data will help us monitor fishing activities at the country level. By the end of this training, those managing data from landing sites will be able to estimate a country’s official fish population statistics. These estimates will be reliable, timely, and trusted, forming the basis for policy-making, adapting to sector dynamics, supporting other studies, measuring levels of exploitation, and more.”
Participants are learning theoretical concepts and practical statistical software and sampling techniques, which are cutting edge and which can improve the precision of estimates. With this training, the participants gain insights which they will use to operate digitalized and upgraded data collection system, CALIPSEO.
Desha Husbands Spellen, a staff member of the Guyana Fisheries Department, noted that previously, data collection and storage took a lot of time and space to process. However, since the implementation of CALIPSEO, the Fisheries Department has been able to consolidate data from various sub-divisions—including Statistics, Aquaculture, Legal, and Inspectorate. She emphasized that training in data analysis is essential for her department and welcomed the opportunity to enhance their capacity to better utilize the fisheries data they collect. “This training, which starts from basic to advanced levels, will improve our ability to produce specific reports and estimates, thereby enhancing our efficiency,” She added.
Gaushimi Poeran, a participant from Suriname shared, “The small-scale fisheries sector in Suriname is growing rapidly, and it’s crucial for us to improve our data collection and ensure that it meets international standards. Suriname is currently digitizing data for our artisanal fisheries, and with this training and FAO’s best practices, we now have better tools to improve and deliver our data in a more quantitative way.”
Lara Ferreira, Fisheries Officer from the Trinidad and Tobago Fisheries Division added, “We appreciate this training, which is helping us to enhance our skills in fisheries data collection, storage, and analysis, leading to better-informed decision-making. A representative from Tobago is also here, and we’re working together to integrate data from both islands.”
The much-needed training is a vital step toward building a strong foundation for evidence-based fisheries management in these countries. By equipping fisheries professionals with the latest tools and techniques, it supports a sustainable fisheries sector that can contribute to improved food security and better livelihoods for small-scale fishers.