The fishing vessel "Aashaan" from S. Hulhudhoo has safely retrieved and brought ashore a sports fishing (vadhu) Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) buoy that was found drifting approximately 5 miles east of Hulhumeedhoo.
The drifting unit was identified as FAD buoy RO9VO2-01. Upon spotting it adrift, the vessel’s crew acted quickly to haul the equipment aboard, earning broad appreciation from local fishermen and the community for safeguarding a valuable state asset. Fishermen highlighted that when vessels rescue and land drifting buoys, island councils bear the responsibility of formally taking custody and handing them over to the relevant authorities.
Under established procedures, local councils must officially notify the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources whenever fishing buoys cut adrift. The Ministry then coordinates repairs or re-anchoring under specific regulations and provides an allowance to parties who recover and hand over drifted devices.
Beyond sports fishing buoys, several commercial pole-and-line (dhoshi) FADs across Addu Atoll have also broken loose, with some missing for an extended period. Local fishermen have appealed to the government to give priority attention to deploying replacements as quickly as possible. Similar disruptions have affected multiple southern atolls where troll FADs have been adrift for months. In response, the Ministry announced that FAD installation operations will resume this week, with top priority given to restoring severed devices across the southern region.
The Maldives currently maintains a national network of 99 Fish Aggregating Devices, comprising 47 commercial pole-and-line FADs and 52 designated for recreational and sports fishing. Replacements have faced bottlenecks because the country currently relies on a single manufacturing facility, making it difficult to keep pace with rising breakages alongside the considerable time and expense required for fabrication. To resolve these logistical constraints permanently, the government has launched practical work to develop dedicated FAD production and maintenance centers in both the northern and southern regions of the country.
