BY SAMIE WAIKORI
AUKI
THE Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources has been urged to consider the call of the people in Lau lagoon to establish a fishery centre in the area.
Since the first fisheries centre in Takwa had closed down five years ago, people in the Lau lagoon region have made numerous calls to authority to have it replaced.
MPA for ward 12, which covers most of Lau lagoon, Fred Wai said yesterday that the people of Lau lagoon have lost their main source of income when the centre closed down five years ago.
He said at the moment fishermen in his ward are engaging in the business, but are finding difficulty in catching fish for market in Honiara.
Wai points out that a main part of the fisheries centre’s operation was having ice cubes available to preserve the fish during storage and transportation to Honiara.
This is one main area which fishermen are finding difficulty in currently.
“Like now fishermen depend on supply of ice-cubes from Honiara, but if the centre to revive ice-cube production and fish preservation faculty will be at home,” Wai said.
He said fish production for local market in ward 12 is very high and a regular business engagement within the area of Founafou and Tara’ana.
Wai said the activeness of the business has showed between five to 10 eskies transported to Honiara via Auki every week.
He said under his capacity as a provincial member he had a heart for his people’s concern, however, support from responsible authorities was paramount to make it happen.
