A Suriname fishmonger in the coastal city of Nieuw Nickerie says he pays 250,000 Surinamese dollars, or about $12,000, each year for his processing business and fleet.
The vendor acknowledges illegally transferring his permit to Guyanese boats, saying that it’s the only way to recoup costs.
“I have a permit, you have a boat. I say, ‘take the permit, use the boat, bring me the fish,’” said the vendor, whose name is being withheld due to his comments on illicit acts, including smuggling.
The practice, however, has created a black market for fishing licenses. Fishers from Guyana often work under the licenses, renting them from boat owners for a few thousand dollars.
Suriname – wedged among Guyana, French Guiana, and Brazil – has strict laws on fishing licenses, including one that says permits may only be issued to Surinamese vessels and that they are non-transferable. In 2020, the Ministry of Agriculture, Husbandry, and Fisheries issued just over 930
artisanal fishing permits. Due to the trade in licenses, however, many more boats are fishing in Suriname’s waters.
Licenses are readily duplicated, said Satesh Kodai, chairman of the Suriname National Fisherfolk Organization. He estimated that for every 100 permits rented to Guyanese fishers, 300 to 400 boats are working under them. He said that Guyanese fishers who illegally rent licenses also duplicate them to sell to their compatriots.
Suriname’s artisanal fishers can apply for two types of licenses. An inland navigation license allows for fishing in rivers, including the estuary, and shallow coastal waters. A Suriname Coast license, or SK license for its Dutch acronym, permits fishing in offshore zones in waters up to 16.5 meters deep. In 2020, the inland fleet received some 470 permits and the coastal one 450, according to the latest fisheries management plan.
Boats provided SK licenses are typically large wooden vessels that can stay out to sea for up to three weeks, fishing for butterfish, Asian sea bass, and other large fish.
The more valuable SK licenses are most often rented to Guyanese boats. Guyana news organizations have reported that fishers pay up to $4,000 for a permit. These boats also illegally land their catch in Guyana.