Successful End to Fisheries Management Workshop

A two days Oceanic Fisheries Management workshop successfully ended in Honiara.

Initiated by the World Wildlife Fund [WWF] and the Forum Fisheries Agency [FFA], the workshop aims at trying to get non-government organizational groups to realize the importance of wild life, especially in the fisheries department.

The Fisheries Policy Officer for WWF South Pacific in Suva, Fiji, Seremaia Tuqiri, told Solomon Times that the workshop discussed various issues relating to fisheries management.

Mr. Tuqiri urged NGO's and civil societies to all work together to address issues in the area.

Expected outcome of the workshop is for participants to follow up on discussions carried over the two days.

Mr. Tuqiri adds that the Fisheries department should work together with the Government so that they can pass information to the grassroots level where most do not understand the role of the FFA.

Meanwhile, a representative from the Church of Melanesia, Judith Siota, highlighted that one important issue discussed during the workshop was the issue of women going out to the boats.

She said that women who go out to the ships to get fish to sell at the market is a worry because they are vulnerable to contracting Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) and HIV virus.

"While it is true that these women are unemployed and their only means of income is going out to the boats, the health risk imposed on them is more of a concern."

Mrs. Siota said that women from different NGO groups should try and address the issue among their respective women's groups.

She also called on the National Council of Women to assist them in finding ways to curb, and put to a stop, women going to the ships.