Fishers from across the country were engaged in a World Bank Project which involves the development and deployment of Fish Aggregating Devices (FADS) in the waters of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
On Friday March 3, Fishers gathered at the Fisheries Conference Room to exchange ideas and present varying co-ordinates as they deploy six (6) surface FADS and six (6) submerge FADS along with three (3) spare FADS.
According to Chief Fisheries Officer, Jennifer Cruickshank-Howard, FADS are very beneficial to fishers as they can go directly to the FADS and get fish, saving both time and money on fuel:
“Because the FADs will be at a location where they can go directly they will have some guarantee that there will be fish that day and having that encouragement. Also we are having out fleet expansion program and fishers will be investing in boats and engines and there needs to be some form of comfort that they can go to sea everyday and have some area to go where they are sure or have some confidence that there will be fish at that time,” she said.
Fish Aggregating Devices (FADS) are man-made structures offshore, which attract a gathering of fish, creating an eco-system which allows fish to thrive; they may be deployed deep on the ocean floor or closer to the surface.
