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| participants inspect the new boats donaited by FAO at the hand over cermoney - Bosaso |
last year at the end of November, specifically on 28th, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) delivered 12 fishing vessels with inboard diesel engines to the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources in Puntland, which in turn delivered them to active fishing cooperatives operating on the Puntland coasts.
the vessels were a contribution from the Coastal Communities Against Piracy (CCAP) Project, generously funded by the European Union, which works to develop a vibrant fisheries sector in Somalia coastline
Michael Safins, head of the FAO's Fleet Renewal Unit at the handover ceremony said that The vessels are designed for long line fishing which is a more sustainable type of fishing, able to provide high quality and value individual fish,”Although the program participants inspected the new boats that FAO donated at the handover ceremony and admired the engines installed on the boats which are large and appropriate, but in return they mentioned that the shape of the new boats were not designed according to the standards and it puts their lives at risk
They added that the boats were disproportionately designed which makes them vulnerable to sinking when the waves rise, and in normal cases even, and they stated that a boat should stay afloat in the conditions for which it was designed without water having to be pumped out of it (relative to the size of the boat).
Although new boats provide better on-board fish handling facilities (including well-insulated fish crates that are able to keep ice in fish for longer periods) and improve efficiency through the use of internal diesel engines, which are better for the environment than conventional external engines,all This will not help due to the short stature of the front side, which causes it to sink in the water continuously and forces fishermen to refrain from using it,
The participants thanked FAO and the European Union for their longstanding and continued support to develop fisheries sector In Puntland And somalia and they added that these types of development projects require consultation , proper planning ,and an evaluation stage before it is implemented
The CCAP project funded by the European Union, started in 2016 with a clear objective: provide viable alternatives to piracy within the fisheries sector to the coastal communities. In collaboration with the Federal Government and the State Governments of Puntland and Galmudug.
