Alia fishermen are being invited to a meeting with the Department of Commerce and the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources tomorrow which will discuss the governor’s vision for the future of the small alia fleet and come up with ways to ensure that the fish market at Fagatogo is fully utilities.
Officials of the Department of Marine and Wildlife will be present to explain programs and assistance available to alia fisherman.
There’s concern that about 14 registered alia have not gone fishing for quite some time due to the lack of capital.
A member of the fishing industry says alias are obsolete and need to be upgraded to compete with the demands of today’s market.
According to the official most of the existing alia are only good for fishing during the day.
The boats are not equipped to respond to calamities at sea and the capacity of their boats is not adequate to make commercial fishing viable.
DOC and DMWR are hoping that one outcome of the meeting is for local fishermen to become more efficient, and more reliable in supplying their business customers and the public.
The government is providing training to equip a new generation of fisherman who don’t go fishing only when they feel like it but be professional about their careers.
