Thursday’s front page photo of St. Maarten launching its first two fish aggregating devices (FADs) in surrounding waters was encouraging. The initiative is intended to improve offshore fishing opportunities, support local fishermen and strengthen the sector.
FADs attract migrating species, making it easier to catch them. Their use in the
Caribbean is becoming widespread as small island nations attempt to shift exploitation from often overfished reef fisheries to less heavily exploited
off-shore resources.
It regards man-made structures that float on or just below the surface of
the ocean. They are typically kept in place by buoys and ropes tethered to large concrete blocks or sandbags dropped to the sea floor.
FADs target pelagic fish that may associate with the structure for days or even weeks. By concentrating fish in a known location, they increase the efficiency of fishing and are widely employed in both artisanal and industrial-scale tropical fisheries.
That St. Maarten’s FADs -reportedly of environmentally responsible materials and with GPS-tracked electronic buoys to support monitoring- were donated by Curaçao, speaks well of continued cooperation between the Dutch Caribbean countries in a monetary union with joint currency. Despite occasional disagreements for example on governance of the shared central bank, relations remain good.
The recently launched structures supposedly attract local favourites such as tuna, mahi-mahi and wahoo. They can also help fishermen reduce the time spent searching for fish and lower fuel expenses, while easing pressure on sensitive coastal ecosystems.
According to Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Grisha Heyliger-Marten, she received positive feedback from local fishermen about how the devices are working. If so, more should soon follow.
