Mustapha ‘optimistic’ Guyana’s catfish ban will be reversed with amended Fisheries Act
The U.S standards for import of catfish species demands the presence of inspectors on plants for one hour during an 8-hour shift. This move has greatly affected the catfish farmers who invested heavily to develop the industry.
In order to reverse the ban, government has started a review of the Fisheries Act to ensure that the requirements are met.
“Recently we have had the entire Fisheries Act being updated [and] we have already submitted because you know our country was blacklisted from exporting catfish to the United States,” the minister said.
Engagements between stakeholders have led to the update of several Fisheries Management plans. The engagements are focused on implementing Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing which capture a number of areas that are important for the sector and its sustainability.
All of these tie into setting out a number of objectives, outcomes and actions where there can be sustainability, good management, enforcement to ensure the sector is productive and maintains fish stock in a healthy manner.