Japan hands over a 5-ton-pole and line vessel to Bureau of Fishery

On 19 April 2022, the handover ceremony of “The Project for the Procurement of a Fishing Vessel” by Japan’s Grassroots Grant Project (GGP) was held in Malakal, Koror. President Surangel S. Whipps Jr., Ambassador KARASAWA Akira, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment Steven Victor, President of Belau Offshore Fishers Incorporated (BOFI) Okada Techitong and many guests attended the ceremony.
 
The main objective of this grant project is to provide a 5-ton pole-and-line vessel to Bureau of Fisheries of the Government of Palau. The vessel will be used by BOFI members to increase the catch of pelagic fish for domestic consumption in a sustainable manner, enhance the livelihood of fishermen and strengthen Palau’s blue economy.
 
The project is exceptional in three aspects. First, the total amount of the project, 769,118 USD, is the biggest GGP ever in Palau. Second, the vessel procured in this project is the first pole-and-line vessel for the use of the Palauan fishery cooperative. Third, this project has involved various organizations to provide technical support from Japan, including fishermen of Okinawa. Overseas Fisheries Cooperation Foundation of Japan provided fishing gear including a bait catcher and will invite the cooperative members to Okinawa this summer for them to learn the pole-and-line technique. JICA will also dispatch experts to improve cold chain and value chain of fish caught by this pole-and-line vessel in their blue economy technical cooperation project.
 
The handover ceremony was held just days after the successful Our Ocean Conference 2022 held on 13-14 April. Advancing sustainable use of marine resources is one of the six areas of action of the conference and many organizations including the Government of Japan announced over 400 commitments. The ceremony became a timely opportunity for Japan to make its commitments to Palau tangible.
 
In the ceremony, President Whipps stated, “We look forward to tairyo (large catch of fish), to diversify the economy and food security. This is an important step for Palau’s achievement. We would like to demonstrate and continue our close partnership and cooperation with Japan to make our Blue Prosperity Plan come reality in three years.” Ambassador Karasawa stated, “I hope this vessel will be operated and maintained with care for a long time, and contribute to increasing a catch of tuna and skipjack and enhancing the livelihood of fishermen and Palau’s blue economy. Japan will continue its assistance for Palau to develop offshore fisheries based on our long-standing friendship.”