CeDePesca – a Buenos Aires, Argentina-headquartered NGO that aims to help fisheries in Latin America work toward implementing more sustainable practices – has partnered with two companies from the South American country of Suriname to develop a new fishery improvement project (FIP) in the nation.
Caribbean Sea Foods NV and Deep Sea Atlantic NV, along with CeDePesca, will focus on improving sustainability within the hook-and-line fishery of the southern red snapper (Lutjanus purpureus), vermillion snapper (Rhomboplites aurorubens), kingfish (Scomberomorus cavalla), and grouper (Epinephelus spp).
The fishery – which employs longline and handline fishers – features wooden Venezuela-flagged vessels, which are licensed and land their catches in Suriname. The fleet usually makes two- to three-week fishing trips and stores their catch on ice. These vessels also operate in the waters of Guyana, French Guiana, and other countries in the northeastern region of South America.
In 2023, Suriname granted licenses to 131 Venezuelan hook-and-line fishing vessels to fish within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and catches within the fishery approached 3,300 metric tons last year, destined for both foreign and domestic consumption.
According to CeDePesca, prospective FIPs should meet the requirements for active FIPs within one year.
These projects are posted on FisheryProgress to help users identify opportunities to support developing FIPs and prevent duplicate FIPs.
In Suriname, CeDePesca will conduct a Marine Stewardship Council pre-assessment over the next few months.
CeDePesca currently has 21 projects ongoing in nine countries throughout Latin America and has more than 140 members, including companies, universities, and NGOs. It partners with fishers, businesses, governments, academic institutions, and other NGOs and international institutions.
Besides working on FIPs, the organization trains others in meeting the principles of the U.N.’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, the FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Small-Scale Fisheries, and the FAO Guidelines for Ecolabeling of Fishery Products. It also implements onboard observer programs to mitigate impacts on non-target species and habitats.
