Coast Guard nab illegal Venezuelan fishers in Guyana’s waters

The Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard ranks and authorities from the Fisheries Department seized a Venezuelan vessel, Los Hermanos Alverez, which was caught fishing in Guyana’s waters some 37 miles north of the Berbice River, on Thursday morning at around 00:30hrs.

Measuring approximately 65 feet by 15 feet, the Los Hermanos Alverez is not a trawler.

There have been reports that the foreign vessel cut its fishing lines after the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) craft, GDFS Essequibo, had been spotted.

Inspections aboard the Los Hermanos Alverez revealed approximately 100 kilograms of fresh fish and another 500 kilograms of salted fish. Aboard the vessel were Captain Iroshy Zapata, 29, Engineer Tomas Orellana, 40, and crewmembers Jose Marin, 39, Yenzo Gutierrez, 31, Luis Zapata, 24, Jonathan Avila, 26, and Pedro Ortiz, 37. These persons have since been taken into custody and are part of ongoing investigations.

Interception of the vessel comes at a time when local fisheries authorities have shown enthusiasm on boosting patrols and surveillance at sea to combat illegal fishing activities and piracy attacks.

To this effect, discussions between various fisheries and security stakeholders have recently focused on more comprehensive monitoring of vessels to guard against exploitation of marine resources and improve ability to respond to distress signals.

The fisheries authorities, working closely with the Coast Guard and other law enforcement agencies as well as fishing co-ops and trawler operators countrywide, have since stepped up monitoring of the country’s waters with more frequent patrols and better communication systems. Recognising also the impact of illegal fishing and over-exploitation of fish stocks and its effects on the thousands of livelihoods that legitimately depend on the industry, there have been greater efforts to respond to such constraints and ensure sustainable fishing.

This is the first year the local trawler fleet is being cut by 10 per cent, while an additional 10 per cent reduction will take effect next year, making a full 20 per cent reduction in fleet to ensure sustainable exploitation and management of the depleting fisheries resources.

Trawler owners and operators agreed to this reduction after months of intense consultations and discussions.

Additionally, Guyanese fisheries authorities are presently exploring various options for developing a modern vessel monitoring system (VMS) to further guarantee improved surveillance and monitoring of all vessels at sea.