GUYANA: Guyana’s Reputation As A Sport Fishing Destination Gaining Traction

A team from the award-winning GEOBASS series, renowned for its wild adventures, journeyed to Guyana to film the epic voyage of catching the famous Arapaima and other popular fish.

The five member crew concluded filming a few days ago, in Rewa, and was eager to share their experiences; they continue to look for undiscovered locations and new ways to find and catch fish like no one has before, they risk life and limb to make their dream of catching bass around the world a reality.

During an interview on Friday, just back from their expedition, the crew expressed their delight at having the opportunity to film in one of the “friendliest forests” they have experienced; the team spent two weeks in Guyana.

“We caught Peacock bass, two kinds of piranha, and an arapaima. It was unbelievable, it was really an experience,” explained Thad Robinson, the team’s Film maker

“My favorite part was seeing the culture and how the people were living. They know everything about the jungle and they took the time to show us many things,” Joseph Carson revealed.

This is their first time in Guyana, but the team has vowed to return to begin filming for a television series on tarpon fishing in Region one.

GEOBASS’ Videographer, Brian Jill explained, “We have gone all over the world on crazy adventures, but this is right up there at the top. The experience is world class and the jungle is the friendliest jungle we have ever seen.”

Alluding to the motivation behind their Guyana adventure, Robinson revealed that they were encouraged by a team from Costa Del Mar who came a few years ago to promote sustainable sport fishing while preserving the country’s natural resources.

He explained too that the compiled footage of their adventures will be available on YouTube within the next five weeks and will receive worldwide circulation, as it will be promoted via multiple sites.

“It is going on YouTube and there is going to be teasers online. It’s free and all of your sponsors and networks will carry it including Go Pro, Mountain Dew, and Car Heart. It will be posted on costadelmar.com, they will send out press releases that hit all the trade publications. It will get a lot of traction,” the team assured.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Tourism Authority Director, Indranauth Haralsingh lauded the team for choosing the destination and invited then to explore additional locations in Guyana which hold potential of becoming popular sport fishing sites, particularly areas in Region 1.

He reminded that, just a few weeks ago , a filming crew from GM Productions, out of the United States, concluded the filming for a new documentary here titled ‘The Obsession of Carter Andrews’ to be aired on the Outdoor Channel in May.
Sport Fishing is a new area of tourism attraction in Guyana, known as the ‘land of many waters’, the country is home to many unchartered river terrains virgin to man.

Guyana shares with the Amazon River over 1800 fish species; among these are several Game Fish Species such as the Payara, Arowana, Himara, and what is considered by professional anglers worldwide as the world’s most popular Fresh Water Game Fish, the Peacock Bass (Lukanani).

Impact

According to the Tourism Minister, Irfaan Ali, the investments made towards the development of this niche market is well placed as Guyana would have leveraged Millions of US Dollars in exposure and destination awareness over the last few years.

“We remain committed to developing Sport Fishing in Guyana, as a tourism niche product. The fact that more ‘A’ list documentary and filming crews are travelling to the destination to participate, promote and share their sport fishing adventures speaks to the successes of our marketing drive. Guyana holds a distinct advantage as home to unique species including the Arapaima and we will continue with the sustainable development of this new ecotourism product while promoting Guyana as a new and emerging sports fishing destination.” Minister Ali explained.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation identifies fishing as one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the United States. As many as 33 million people aged 16 or older participate in the activity, and spend $48 billion annually on equipment, licenses, trips and other fishing related events.

With Guyana’s growing popularity as a Sport Fishing destination, tapping into the market of the growing legion of anglers could be the economic engine that helps to develop the product and keep fisheries conservation movng successfully forward; this drive is also supported by connectivity provided by Suriname Airways, Fly Jamaica, Caribbean Airlines and Dynamic Airways.