The Upper Corentyne Fishermen?s Co-operative Society (UCFCS) was formed 50 years ago, and has a membership of 120 fisherfolk from along the Corentyne Coast. The current state of fisheries resources on the Corentyne are rated as critical by the Fisheries Dept., and supported through on the ground experiences of the fishermen along the Corentyne Coast. The Co-op and its members have recognized the need to employ further sustainable fishing practices, if fishing is to continue to be their livelihoods. With the acquisition of the necessary equipment, the Co-op will be working with the Fisheries Dept on capturing time series data along the Corentyne Coast, regarding species, movement, nurseries, etc. Simultaenously, the Co-op will implement a supporting monitoring system among its members, to better record the same type of information, along with fish catch data.
At the other end of the process, there is a need to improve the post-harvesting techniques, in order to access the markets available. The Co-op is the only location along the Corentyne Coast that supplies the ice necessary for the fishing vessels. Due to outdated equipment, the quantity of ice produced currently does not even meet 50% of the demand, leaving fisherfolk with much spoilage, or sometimes having to source ice from Suriname. In order to address these issues and ensure that there is sustainable use of fisheries, the UCFCS, through the GEF Small Grants Programme, requested support. Long term impacts have implications for the health and ecological integrity of coastal fisheries, which in turn has national and international benefits. Successful data collection would also be model for other fishing Co-ops and can contribute to a Coastal Fisheries Management Plan.