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Sunday 27 February 2005
From: Doug Brain
Received by: Email.
The dominant livelihood on the East coast is fishing, and inevitably the worst hit. We found there were three broad groups of fisherman:
A group of three motor fishermen would normally hire a boat with outboard motor from a private businessman. A replacement unit costs approximately $3500. It was decided given the massive capital investment, and the small proportion of breadwinners re-employed this was not a cost efficient investment. Sea Tornie Fishermen use a 20 x 30ft catamaran style boat, and a net attached to the land to encircle fish in shallow water. A land based crew of between 30 and 50 men then haul in the net and its contents. A replacement unit costs approximately $3700. However the high demand for boats has created a waiting list until April. The fishing season ends late March, consequently the first time these boats would be used is August when the fishing season resumes. Many NGOs and private groups have pledged money for these projects already, and although they are moving slowly they will have boats ready for the next season, thus we have decided not to invest in this project. Finally lagoon Tornie fisherman employ three men and use smaller catamaran style boats, between 10 and 15ft long. A replacement unit is approximately $170. Lagoon fishermen are less affected by season since within the sheltered waters there is always a suitable fishing spot. On the east coast many boats have been pledged and deliveries are already arriving. For this reason and many of the logistical reason mentioned in the previous article, we have decided not to invest on the east coast but to pursue this project elsewhere. |