Progress report for
Tuvalu - Near-shore Fish-Aggregating Devices (FADs)
Achievement at a glance
Near-shore FADs that have been placed on some islands have been seen as a way of providing an array of benefits to local fishing communities, with the most important benefits including (i) reduced pressure on reef resources by moving the focus to more resilient pelagic stocks; (ii) increased catches overall; and (iii) less distance to travel to fish making for better safety, better access for canoes and for those that use powered boats, reduced fuel consumption.\r\nThe placement of FADs accompanies hands-on training for fishers on FAD fabrication, deploying and maintenance, and setting local by-laws for the use of FADs which have been beneficial to the isalnds they have been deployed on.\r\nDiscussions and workshops have been used to identify the best type of design and management needs. FADs have reduced fuel consumption, which is the largest cost item for fishers.Challenges faced in implementation
The placement of FADs will accompany hands-on training for fishers on FAD fabrication, deploying and maintenance, and setting local by-laws for the use of FADs which will be costly. However, this will build directly on the TA assistance on this technology that SPC is currently providing at the national level, and the LDCF resources will be used to bring this climate resilient technology to outer islands. Discussions and workshops will be used to identify the best type of design and management needs. Ensure maintenance of equipment and sustainable funding is a worry.Beneficiaries
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