USAID, FAME partner to equip Sarangani fishing boats with transponders
SOCCSKSARGEN: SARANGANI
MORE THAN two dozen small fishing boats in several towns of Sarangani will be equipped with transponders that will allow them to document their catch as well as stay in touch with their community and family on land. The project, according to a statement released by the US Embassy in Manila last week, is a partnership between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Manila-based Futuristic Aviation and Maritime Enterprise, Inc. (FAME). “This technology will enable fishers to trace and document their catch using a mobile application — measures that make them compliant with national and international market requirements for ensuring that consumers receive legal, eco-friendly, properly labeled seafood products. Complying with these standards will allow the fishers to reach new markets and earn more money,” it said. The project, managed out of USAID’s Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA) in Bangkok, “will also promote fishers’ safety by providing connectivity while at sea… This technology is out of reach for most vessels due to high costs and limited connectivity,” it added. “We are pleased to partner with innovative, entrepreneurial, and homegrown companies like FAME that are meeting the needs of fisheries managers while also promoting prosperity and sustainability in the international seafood trade,” said Richard Goughnour, Director of USAID RDMA. The beneficiaries are from the coastal municipalities of Glan, Kiamba, and Maasim.