350 rural coastal communities in Malaita show interest in fisheries but lack support

By RODRICK DESURI

AUKI

About 350 rural coastal communities around Malaita Province are interested to venture into farming fisheries resources but the challenge is the lack of financial support.

Auki-based Senior Fisheries Officer Mathew Isihanua said many coastal communities and entrepreneurs have shown interest and are requesting training, but there is no available funding to meet these requests.

He stressed that activities such as the deployment of FADs, tilapia farming, and value-adding to fish products have also been requested by other coastal communities.

On his part, due to the lack of financial support, reaching out to coastal communities has become a problem for him.

“We have 350 coastal communities that have requested training, but logistics are costly to reach them.

“My latest training was at Waimarau and Harumou in post-harvest and fish bottling, for which I had to fund my trip and the initiative,” he explained.

Isihanua mentioned that he has knowledge and skills and even has his own kits to use during any fisheries training.

He appeals to the provincial and national governments to seek and allocate funds for activities such as seaweed farming, aquaculture farming, post-harvesting, and fish bottling.

“I think, both provincial and national government should allocate more funds to these activities. These are their felt needs faced in their daily lives,” he said.

Fisheries supports food security through nutritious, accessible protein and drives economic growth, provides employment, generates income, and fosters social well-being by sustaining coastal and rural communities.

Additionally, it contributes to economic development through revenue collection for the province and national government.

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