Prime Minister Dr Derek Sikua has given three 19-feet fiberglass canoes and three 15-horse power Yamaha outboard motors to fishing communities of his North-East Guadalcanal Constituency.
The canoes and the outboard engines are part of the Government's Rural Fisheries Project which is coordinated by the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources.Dr Sikua handed over the canoes and the outboard motors to the fishing communities of Samarai, Kerekoka and St Mary Tumubosa this afternoon at the BPI Company compound in Honiara. BPI Company manufactures the fibreglass canoes.
He says the fishing communities are along the coast of his constituency
He had applied for seven canoes and seven outboard motor engines altogether under the Fisheries Project in 2007 but the funds were only made available this year.
The remaining canoes and engines, he says will be ordered as soon as the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources releases new funds in November.
At the handover, Prime Minister Sikua urged the communities to use the canoes and their engines to go out and catch fish for sale either in Honiara or to the local communities.
Next in line to get canoes and outboard motors are individual fishermen who want to venture into fishing to earn money to help their families.
But Prime Minister Sikua advised the recipients against using their new canoes and engines to carry market produce to the Honiara markets.
Source: GCU