Suedat Persaud is one of many who has been farming this niche shrimp for decades. He is also the founder and secretary of the East Berbice-Corentyne Aquaculture Cooperative Society Ltd, which is made up of brackish water farmers in Fyrish Village.

 

His parents were also fish farmers specializing in brackish water shrimp, crab, mullet and snook, which Suedat continues to cultivate.

 

"During my parents' time, I learnt different methods of fish farming, especially for brackish water shrimp, some of which I still use today. After they passed, I just continued in their footsteps. Today I have two sons who are also involved in the farm operations," he says.

 

Farming brackish water shrimp, however, is not the same as it used to be.

 

"We experienced a lot of difficulties because of climate change and other weather phenomena over the decades," he says, mentioning the El Niño droughts and La Niña floods. "We have also seen changes in wind patterns that bring in more fresh water from the river, which has less salinity and that affects the amount of shrimp larvae that we get."

 

Traditionally, farmers in East Berbice have used a production system that required little to no feeding but depended on the natural inflow of tides to fill their ponds and bring in wild-sourced shrimp larvae. This method necessitated frequent changing and excavation of new fishponds to encourage shrimp larvae growth. While the traditional approach can be low-cost, it presents significant vulnerabilities regarding supply consistency, environmental changes and disease.

 

"Over the years, we were not yielding enough. The fertility of the land dropped, the yields dropped, the production dropped, and we ended up with a shortfall of shrimp. We needed a change," he says.

 

To ensure sustainability and growth, the sector needed enhanced support systems, such as improved access to training, resources and market opportunities, as well as better management practices to increase resilience.

 

In 2021, the Government of Guyana initiated a project to improve livelihoods, food security and exports of shrimp. By January 2024, the investment had amounted to over USD 1.5 million, with production surging from 105 tonnes in 2020 to 958 tonnes in 2023.

 

As part of the project "Sustainable Development of Resilient Value Chains", FAO and the Ministry also introduced other good aquaculture practices, such as mangrove planting and restoration.

 

Suedat recalls the day he witnessed some of what he was learning put into practice. "It was when I visited a village with two large swamps where fisherfolk grab crabs that I noticed a lot of mangroves planted around the perimeter dams to support the fish. It was then that I realized how much the mangroves created a feeding ground and habitat and how good their yields were."

 

While the up-front and running costs of the new method are higher, he became convinced that the potential benefits outweighed the costs.

 

Soon, Suedat and other fish farmers approached the Ministry of Agriculture for support in planting mangroves around their fishponds. Through FAO and University of the West Indies micro-grant funding, the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) developed a training programme on mangrove planting and restoration. A community-based mangrove restoration pilot followed to support brackish water shrimp farming.

 

FAO provided farming equipment, training in post-harvest handling, cold storage and sanitation. It also worked on improvements in pond construction so pumps could carry water from the ocean.

 

Suedat and the members of the cooperative now see a more promising future for brackish water shrimp farming with training in good farm management, food safety and business management.

 

So far, the production system has increased yields from approximately 35 000 kilograms per month to some 60 000 kilograms per month. The industry has become more lucrative because consumers, especially from the Guyanese diaspora, are willing to pay a premium price for the product. Farmers have also started selling brackish water shrimp in other regions of Guyana.

 

With increased yields while reducing the strain on the environment, brackish shrimp farmers have turned the tables on climate change and secured their livelihoods into the future.