“If seabob is available, I will supply whoever needs it.”

3 March 2023, La Parfaite Harmony - “I grew up in the countryside. I was a rice farmer. Then I moved to mining and now I am in the fishing industry,” says Renita Joseph, a fish processor from La Parfaite Harmony on the west bank of the Demerara River, close to Guyana’s capital Georgetown.  

“In the morning, I take my kids to school and then I come to the business,” she says. “I have someone in charge of the processing plant, someone for the fish depot, and someone for the office.” 

Renita processes fish and sells it to hotels, restaurants and working customers. She used to be in the export business, but it was not easy with payments, so she put a hold on that.  

Demand for seafood is good, she says. For seabob too, but the supply is a different story.  

“There is scarcity,” says Renita. “It seems there has been a decline in catches and I only get leftovers from the exporters.” 

This can be a problem for her customers, because they want a steady supply, Renita says. For example, a restaurant wants to be sure about the supply before they put seabob on the menu. 

“If seabob is available, I will supply whoever needs it.” 

Limited supply and competition from local processors also lead to price fluctuations, according to Renita. In early 2022, she was buying seabob at GYD 360 per pound (USD 1.72) and by autumn, she was paying GYD 880 (USD 4.21).  

There is also a fishing season. The shrimp fishery is closed between six and eight weeks per year. This calls processors to think about preservation methods. Renita says she dries and freezes seabob, but when you freeze the product, it loses quality and value over time.  

FISH4ACP is working towards a sustainable, resilient, well-managed and inclusive shrimp fishery in Guyana to strengthen its position as a leading exporter of Atlantic seabob shrimp while ensuring long-term stability of stocks and bring more benefits to local fisher folk, especially women.