A training programme has been launched in the Maldives to teach longline fishing to young fishermen.
The initiative has been launched by the Maldivian Fisheries Ministry, in collaboration with the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO), reports local media.
Fisheries Minister Dr Mohamed Shainee said that, with the new programme, Maldivian fishermen would go further out to sea, reducing the share of longline fishing for foreigners, increasing the Maldives’ productivity and creating more jobs for young people.
Fishermen in the Maldives primarily fish by using the pole and line method, and Dr Shainee says that by introducing longlining it would lessen dependency on one fishing method. And Maldivian fishermen would also be able to catch lucrative bigeye tuna.
MIFCO Deputy Manager Ahmed Didi told reporters that the company’s target was to ensure that the youth who complete the training programme would have the capability to work in large yellowfin tuna fishing vessels “anywhere in the world”.
Dr Shainee also said that longlining is the most environmentally-friendly fishing method after pole and line, but additional measures will be taken to reduce the impact on the environment, including hooks that prevent the bycatch of sharks and turtles.
Ten fishermen from Haa Alif Hoarafushi were chosen for the first stage of the training programme, to be conducted by MIFCO.
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