First of the Fishing Industry meetings takes place at Dhigurah Island
21st May 2009
Hosted by MWSRP, kindly facilitated by Dhigurah School, and translated by the Island Chief and Head Teacher the meeting proved to be a great success.
On the agenda;
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gaining local knowledge about whale sharks, their aggegation sites - seasonally, tidally and how they believe the weather effects their aggregation sites
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ascertaining the species fished, the level of fishing, the techniques utilised, and the favoured fishing sites
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understanding any concerns the industry has about the implementation of an MPA
The main MPA objectives include financial benefit for the local community so communication with local fishermen to understands their concerns and inform them about the benefits an MPA can offer is imperative.