- Fisheries Department to deploy additional FADS
The Fisheries Division says it is working to improve the fishing sector throughout St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Senior Fisheries Officer Chris Isaacs told state radio that they are prepared to deploy six new Fish Aggregating Devices, or FADS, in the waters of St. Vincent and the Grenadines by the end of the year.
FADs are created by attaching any floating item to an anchor with a thread to keep it in place, so creating makeshift fishing grounds for fishermen to use.
According to Isaacs, this country has been utilising FADS since 2016, and the new FADS will have a better design.
According to Isaacs, a delegation from Japan is now in the state to conduct underwater surveys this week and next week in order to deploy the six extra FADS.
More information about FADS.
Fish aggregating devices (FADs) have been an essential instrument in commercial tuna fishing during the last few decades due to their higher efficiency compared to free school catches. Many fleets have contributed to their rising usage and reliance on technology advancement.
FADs have negative implications, including increased rates of non-target species such immature bigeye and yellowfin tunas. To date, we have addressed this detrimental outcome by enacting spatial and/or temporal limits on fishing.
These closures can impose an economic burden on fishermen by lowering catch rates, coastal states by attempting to sell access rights to fishing grounds at the same rate as if the closure did not exist, and canneries by causing supply variability and market price volatility.
