| Date: Wed 20-Oct-1993 Paper Page: 13A Publication: Daily Nation Writer: Bertram Niles THE island's fishing fleet and its fishermen are ageing. And Fisheries Minister David Bowen wants more young people to throw their nets into the sea. But he told the graduation ceremony of a training course for fishermen that the young entrants would need to progress quickly to the ice boat age, and, if the current trend continues, eventually to long-lining vessels. The industry is still dominated by day-boats typically operating 50 to 60 miles offshore and returning daily with their catch. There are now about 350, with an average boat age of 13 years. Bowen said a recent study by the Food and Agriculture Organisation showed that these boats tended to be unprofitable. The Minister said he recognised the financial limitations of upgrading and he advised that one way of becoming more profitable was for the day-boats to increase their catch by overnight fishing. This would require a more highly skilled fisherman, vessels equipped to international safety standards and knowledge of proper fish handling techniques. The ice-boat fleet of more than 80 vessels is capable of travelling up to 200 or more miles offshore and can preserve their catch for several days. |