Once the boat has been repaid in full, then all the money from the catch will belong to the fishermen because their account will have been paid and the boat will belong to them. Boat building will start in March 2001. By 2003 Vanuatu will have the strongest-ever fishing fleet since independence. The total of 150 boats with six crew each means there will be 900 fishermen, plus those working on shore, so over a thousand people will be employed. Mr Chitty says the system used in Samoa is good.
Fishermen get money every two weeks from sale of their fish.
In another development, Jacques Bernard, Chairman of northern region fishermen, expressed concern over the agreement signed by the Minister of Public Utilities, Stanley Reginald, and the Minister responsible for fisheries, Albert Ravutia. Bernard said that Government should not have signed this agreement with the Ming Dar company of Taiwan, because of its poor working conditions. He pointed out that Government should have asked NFC for its views on the company. However, the office supervisor in the Ministry of Public Utilities, Silas Aru, said the agreement signed between the Government and Ming Dar is quite straightforward. The aim of the agreement is to register ships that will be flying the Vanuatu flag in the Indian Ocean.