Blog

majority of the protocols that were required to remove the current ban are almost completed. The ban was imposed because Guyana falls short of the US standards in three areas: firstly, on the issue of the presence of inspectors; second, there was insufficient documentation detailing verification of each step in the sanitation and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) process; and third, there was insufficient documentation specifying how the industry manages adulterated catfish products.

Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha addressing stakeholders on Tuesday (Photo: Ministry of Agriculture)

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.

 

overhaul the 1986 Petroleum Act and other key regulations to ensure that new investments in the burgeoning sector are governed by “a comprehensive framework of international best practices.”

The recent announcement of impending legislative changes came as the government released new oil contracts and invited submissions on the contracts over a 14-day consultation period.

Those new contracts, deemed model Petroleum Agreements, should be inked between the government and the countries or companies that successfully bid for the 14 oil blocks.

Guyana’s bid round for 14 new oil blocks was launched last December and it is expected to close by April 2023. The government hopes to award contracts by the end of May 2023.

The oil blocks on auction are for shallow and deep water areas and if successful, companies will be guided by a fiscal and contractual terms meant to garner greater benefits for Guyana.

Stakeholders gathered at the Herdmanston Lodge, Peter Rose Street and Lamaha, Georgetown. (Photo: Ministry of Agriculture)

Currently, legislation caters mostly to marine fisheries and Mustapha said sustainability of all sub-sectors is vital for the country’s goal of becoming the breadbasket of the Caribbean.

He said this is significant to enhance income of the rural population and at the same time take Guyana to food security.

Country representative for the FAO, Dr Gillian Smith, in her remarks highlighted the importance of finding solutions to the challenges fishermen face. She explained that there have been stakeholder discussions which focused on the sustainability of the fisherfolk and this project is expected to further enhance the recommendations to ensure small farmers, communities and small and medium fishers have access to the opportunities that are unfolding in the fishing industry.

“Being able to have a good regulatory framework, a set of rules or a set of guidelines that all of us are in agreement with is a vital part of everything that will include and ensure sustainability not just for this generation but the generations that are to come,” Dr Smith said.

Natalie Van Vliet from the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme and Denzil Roberts, the Chief Fisheries Officer, are among those in the discussions.

Regions One to Nine were previously engaged for the initial Fisheries Act (2002) and according to Van Vliet, Regions One and Nine were engaged back in 2019 when the SWM programme and the FAO commenced its review for recommendations to the Act.

These improvements to the guidelines are being held as Guyana continues to develop its fisheries sector. Last month the Ministry received the updated documents for the Marine Fisheries Management and Seabob Fisheries plans for 2022 to 2027 and the Brackish Water Shrimp Training Manual. All of which will also be used as part of the recommendations for the review of the Act.

 

Prosperity, the third oil platform that will operate in the prolific Stabroek block offshore Guyana, has arrived offshore Guyana and preparatory works have commenced to enable a year-end production start-up of the massive vessel. 

The arrival of the Prosperity Floating, Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessel was announced on Tuesday morning via an ExxonMobil Guyana release. 

Prosperity was constructed by SBM Offshore as part of the Payara development, which is the third development within the giant Stabroek Block offshore Guyana. The block is shared by ExxonMobil (45% interest), Hess Corporation (30% interest) and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (25% interest).

The vessel has an initial production capacity of around 220,000 barrels of oil per day and an overall storage volume of two million barrels. And production from the Prosperity vessel is expected to push daily production to some 600,000 barrels a day in 2024.

Installation campaigns are ongoing and development drilling is underway to support the Prosperity’s start-up later this year, the release noted. 

The Payara project area has an estimated 600 million oil-equivalent barrels of crude.

“The arrival of the Prosperity FPSO is a testament to the strong partnership between ExxonMobil Guyana, the government of Guyana, our co-venturers and the many suppliers that support our operations. We are excited to contribute to Guyana’s energy future and create lasting opportunities for the nation’s growth and prosperity,” ExxonMobil Guyana Production Manager Mike Ryan was quoted as saying.  

The Prosperity FPSO joins the Liza Destiny and Liza Unity FPSOs, which are currently producing more than 380,000 barrels per day. 

 

accused of beating and stabbing 26-year-old fisherman, Monoff Azeem at his Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara (WCD) house on Monday.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Police Headquarters said the five men approached Azeem, who is also called ‘Goat man’, at the Anna Catherina Sea Wall and accused him of chopping up their seine.

One of the suspects was armed with a cutlass while another was armed with a knife, the Police said.

“An argument ensued and the suspect with the knife dealt Azeez one stab to his lower right-side chest. Azeez ran a short distance before collapsing to the ground,” the Police explained.

Azeez was later picked up and taken to the hospital; he was pronounced dead.  The man’s body bore a wound to his chest and two cuts to his left arm.

It was also reported that the suspects fled the scene after attacking Azeez.

As they fled, Police said one of the suspects, who is a 28-year-old fisherman, ran towards his car bearing registration number, PLL 4734.

As he approached the car, officers who were patrolling the area stopped the man and arrested him. That suspect then pointed out the other suspects who were involved in the attack.

Irate residents, however, pushed the suspect’s car into a nearby gutter and set it on fire.

In an interview with the News Room on Monday, the dead man’s sister Bibi Shameeza Ameem said her brother was not the intended target of the attack but his brother-in-law was.

In fact, she said Azeem was not on the fishing boat on Sunday when an argument over the seine ensued.

“Eight guys come up to him and when he turn around they start to beat him and cuff him and then they take a knife and they stab he through and through he body.

“One stab kill my brother…They stab he, you could actually see through and through him,” the grieving woman said.

She added, “They stab wrong person… My brother was the wrong victim…The brother-in-law seh is he is the one who they come fah.

“My brother didn’t work on the boat yesterday (Sunday) that is why them seh they get wrong person.”

Shameeza said the family is pleading for justice.

“We asking fah justice. We need justice fah this…We need help,” she told the News Room.

A post-mortem examination is scheduled to be conducted on Azeez’s remains on Wednesday.

 

akeem@newsroom.gy

Guyana ended the 50th CARIFTA Track and Field Championships with eight medals – three gold, two silver, and three bronze – as the sensational Javon Roberts and Trevon Hamer added to the tally on the final evening at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium, in Nassau, Bahamas.

Roberts stormed to gold in the U-17 800m while Hamer leaped to bronze in the U-20 Triple Jump.

The other medalists over the three-day meet were Anisha Gibbons (Gold – U-20 Javelin), Tianna Springer (Gold -U-17 400m), Roberts (Silver – U-17 1500m), Attoya Harvey (Silver – 3000m), Ezekiel Saul (Bronze -U-17 Triple Jump) and Seon Booker (Bronze – U-20 1500m).

Last year in Jamaica, Guyana won seven medals.

Trevon Hamer won gold in the U-20 Triple Jump (Photo: News Room/Avidesh Narine/April 10, 2023)

Golden Run

Prior to leaving Guyana and arriving mere hours before he won silver in the 1500m on Saturday, just as he did in 2022, Roberts wanted gold in the 800m and it meant he had to set a new Personal Best.

He smashed his ‘PB’ and Season Best of 1:59.53 seconds to clock 1:56.44 seconds followed by Jamaican Delano Todd (1:57.44s) and Trinidadian Brandon Leacock (1:58.17s).

In a tactical masterclass, he hunted from the back and blazed to the front with languid strides of speed, beating his chest in jubilation as he achieved his goal of gold.

More so, Hamer, currently attending Jamaica College on a scholarship, entered the U-20 Triple Jump in third with a leap of 15.23m.

However, in overcast and windy conditions throughout the afternoon, his best leap was 14.89m behind Bahamian Laquan Ellis (14.92m) and World U-20 record holder, Jamaican Jaydon Hibbert (16.11m).

Attoya Harvey copped silver in the 3000m Open (Photo: News Room/Avidesh Narine/April 10, 2023)

There was considerable hope for more medals from the likes of Springer, Harvey, Booker, and Ezekiel Newton but they were topped by outstanding performances.

The 400m gold medalist clocked 24.53s to finish sixth in the U-17 200m final while an unwell Harvey opted out of the 800m and Booker, who too was unwell, did not finish the race despite a fighting effort up to the final 150m.

Newton (21.22s) had to settle for fourth in the U-20 200m while Odida Parkinson (16:31.27s) finished eighth in the 5000m and Narissa McPherson, who medaled in 2022 with silver in the 1500m, ended this campaign with no medal, as she clocked 2:26.46 seconds for 11th in the U-20 800m.

DQ in 4x400m mixed relay

The technical committee indicated Guyana was disqualified from the mixed 4x400m relay due to a lane infringement.

According to World Athletics, some one-off lane infringements are now permitted but shall result in disqualification if they are repeated by the same athlete or within the same relay team at any time during the rounds of the same event.

News Room Sport was informed that the starter committed the infringements on three occasions.

The disqualification was not due to the athletes changing the order of the baton exchange as initially reported.

Guyana’s mixed relay team, comprising Narissa McPherson, Omar James, Tianna Springer, and Wesley Noble Jr. finished third but was later disqualified.

On Sunday evening, the Guyanese clocked 3:27.96s to finish ahead of the powerful Jamaicans (3:29.35s) while Bahamas (3:24.62s) and Grenada (3:27.22s) occupied the top two spots.

Ezekiel Newton finished just outside of the podium in the U-20 200m (Photo: News Room/Avidesh Narine/April 10, 2023)

Safe return home

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport will fund the return of the athletes and officials from The Bahamas.

The group departs Nassau on Tuesday at 07:00 hrs via a chartered flight to Trinidad and Tobago then to Guyana.

They should arrive at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport by 22:35 hrs.

Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle, expressed that the government is extremely proud of the athletes’ accomplishments thus far.

Next CARIFTA

Grenada was voted the next host in 2024 while Trinidad and Tobago will follow in 2025.

These decisions emanated from the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Congress.

It is the third occasion for Grenada to host the prestigious games after doing so in 2000 and 2016.

Trinidad and Tobago, who hosted the second edition of the Games in 1973, will host for the sixth occasion, with the previous being in 2005.