The Fisheries Ministry has stated that it aims to begin the practical work of the Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) centre, which the government has decided to establish in the northern region, before December 10.
The Funadhoo FAD centre is a facility being established in the north, in line with the government's decision to set up FAD manufacturing centres in the northern and southern regions of the Maldives. The island council has allocated a 10,000-square-foot plot of land for the construction of this centre for an indefinite period, and the land has been provided rent-free. This centre will become the first FAD manufacturing facility established outside of Male'.
Sharing the plans for establishing FAD centres in the north and south of the Maldives with "Keyolha", the Director General of the Fisheries Ministry, Ahmed Yameen, stated that the ministry is currently working hardest to start the work on the centre being established in the north, specifically in Sh. Funadhoo, as soon as possible. In this regard, Yameen said that the ministry is preparing to complete the necessary administrative tasks and send the project to the Finance Ministry for tendering next week to open it for bidding.
Yameen stated that, looking at how the work is progressing now, the construction of the centre will begin within this year. He also mentioned that the target is to commence practical work before December 10.
"Looking at the current demand for deploying FADs, this cannot be done any other way, so this is one of the ministry's highest priorities. Therefore, the ministry will push very hard to get it done. The target is to lay the foundation here and start the work before December 10... before Fishermen's Day," Yameen said.
Yameen stated that the work to "allocate" an island to establish the FAD centre in the south is ongoing, and based on assessments so far, about four islands suitable for the centre have been identified. However, Yameen noted that a specific island for the centre has not yet been determined.
The government decided to establish FAD manufacturing centres in the northern and southern regions of the Maldives as a solution to the challenges faced in deploying FADs across different regions of the country, given that there is currently only one manufacturing centre. The FADs being deployed in various regions of the Maldives are currently being prepared at the centre established in Hulhumale', with technical assistance from the FAO.
The Fisheries Ministry has previously stated that although many islands have requested FADs to be deployed, the work cannot proceed at a pace that meets the demand. Therefore, priority is currently given to replacing lost FADs as quickly as possible rather than deploying new ones. The Fisheries Ministry stated that it costs approximately 500,000 Rufiyaa to deploy a single FAD.
The ministry states that with the establishment of FAD manufacturing centres in two regions of the Maldives, it will become easier to expand the FAD network. The FAD network currently includes 75 pole-and-line FADs and 41 trolling FADs. Pole-and-line FADs are specifically for pole-and-line or skipjack tuna fishing. Trolling FADs are specifically for reef fishing and recreational fishing.
