FISH4ACP

Unlocking the potential

of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture
in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific

Guyana
FISH4ACP aims to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of
the Atlantic seabob fishery in Guyana, where local demand is expected
WHAT WE focus
to rise as a consequence of emerging oil and gas production. At the
same time, FISH4ACP will ensure that economic improvements
on
go hand in hand with environmental sustainability and social
inclusiveness. → Value chain analysis to
improve Guyana’s Atlantic
seabob value chain.
VALUE CHAIN AT A GLANCE

Atlantic seabob → Open up new markets

for small and medium
enterprises, including for
(Xiphopenaeus kroyeri)
value-added products from
bycatch and waste.

→ Improve safety and workers’

rights in Guyana’s seabob
sector and strengthen the role
of women and youth.

→ Make seabob fishing more

environmentally sustainable
by reducing bycatch of
PRODUCTION METHOD VOLUMES * VALUE * endangered species.

Wild caught,
artisanal and 20 000 USD 50 → Help businesses access
additional sources of finance
industrial tonnes million (est.) and investment.
* Primary production
 &
Facts
figures
Guyana’s annual harvest of Atlantic
seabob is 20 000 tonnes
worth an estimated
USD 50 million.

©Photo Credit
According to a 2019 assessment,
Atlantic seabob is healthy and fully
Harvest
exploited and a new

Guyana is the world’s largest producer of Atlantic seabob, a commercially

Control Rule came into
force in 2020 to better monitor
important shrimp captured from the Atlantic coast of the US all the way down to
the fishery.
Brazil.
Guyana’s seabob fishery includes
In Guayana, seabob is fished by industrial trawlers and by artisanal fishers. Most
of the industrial catch is processed into frozen, peeled shrimp to supply both local 87 licensed trawlers and
and international markets, making seabob Guyana’s most important seafood 305 artisanal fyke net vessels,
as well as processing facilities.
export. Seabob landed by artisanal fishers and bycatch of commercial value,
including white belly shrimp, are processed into dried and smoked products or
The three largest processing facilities
sold fresh on local markets.
1 600 individuals,
employ some
FISH4ACP aims to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of Atlantic 45 percent of whom
seabob fisheries in Guyana, where local demand is expected to rise as a are women.
consequence of emerging oil and gas production. The Marine Steward Council
certification obtained in 2019 will help to consolidate the position of the sector in In 2019, Guyana’s industrial
existing markets and facilitate access to new ones. seabob fishery received Marine
Stewardship Council (MSC).
FISH4ACP will work to increase the production of small-scale fishers in the sector
certification.
and strengthen the role of women and youth, while seeking to improve safety
and workers’ rights. At the same time, it will support efforts to reduce bycatch, in
particular of endangered species, such as the electric ray.

FISH4ACP is an initiative of the

Organisation of African, Caribbean and
Pacific States (OACPS) contributing to
food and nutrition security, economic
prosperity and job creation by ensuring
the economic, social and environmental
sustainability of fisheries and
aquaculture value chains in Africa, the
Caribbean and the Pacific. FISH4ACP is
CB1543EN/1/11.20

Some rights reserved. This work is available implemented by FAO and partners with
© FAO, 2020

under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO licence funding from the European Union.

This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views Contact: FISH4ACP@fao.org
expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.