A trolling Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) has been deployed off the coast of Sh. Bileffahi.
The FAD was deployed this morning, 5 miles southwest of the island. The FAD number is D08V03.
This brand new FAD has been deployed in Bileffahi following a consultative meeting held in September last year between the Island Council and senior officials of the Fisheries Ministry, where a request was made to expedite the deployment of an FAD in the island. During the meeting, the Fisheries Ministry gave assurances that an FAD would be established.
During the ongoing trip by the Fisheries Ministry's technical team to Sh. Atoll, another trolling FAD was deployed 6 miles east of Neyo in the atoll on the 26th of this month. The number of this newly deployed FAD is D09V04. With these two newly established FADs, the total number of trolling FADs in Sh. Atoll has reached 6.
Locations of previously deployed FADs:
5 miles northwest of Boduhuraa
5 miles southeast of Ekasdhoo
Trolling FADs deployed at a distance of between 3 to 6 miles around the islands are specially designed for trolling and sport fishing. The trolling FADs are designed with a light visible from afar and a radar reflector to easily identify the location of the FAD. The Maldives' trolling FAD network currently includes a total of 54 FADs. The Fisheries Ministry is continuing the work of deploying FADs in various regions of the Maldives in the future.
Under the government's fisheries development policy, trolling FADs are being established in various regions of the Maldives to facilitate fishermen, especially young fishermen and those involved in sport fishing, to further develop the fishery and help boost the income derived from it.
