Hybrid wood-fiberglass boats to help Yolanda-affected fishers get livelihood back

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources are working on hybrid boats made of wood and fiberglass that will help small-scale fisherfolk recover livelihood lost to Typhoon Yolanda last year, FAO said in a press statement.

According to FAO, the boats — developed with the help of the UK Department for International Development — will be made of wood and fiberglass but will retain the traditional design of Philippine fishing boats.

Traidtionally, the kasko or keel of a Philippine fishing boat is made from a type of hardwood harvested from a protected tree.

The new design replaces the hardwood with fiberglass, which will help preserve the hardwood trees and help lessen illegal logging. The boats will also have built-in buoyancy tanks and other features to make the boat more seaworthy and durable, FAO said.

"It is imperative that we restore fishing production capacity in a sustainable manner. The disruption to the fisheries sector caused by Typhoon Yolanda over six months ago not only threatens fishers' livelihoods, per capita fish consumption and nutrition levels of coastal communities but the livelihoods of thousands of other fish workers and women in fisheries along the fish distribution chain," José Luis Fernandez, FAO representative in the Philippines, said.

To make the hybrid boat project sustainable, boat builders, NGO workers, and government personnel will be trained to build and repair the boats. They can then pass on the knowledge to at least 3,000 other boat builders.

FAO, with DFIF and the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department will also help 2,900 seaweed farmers restore their seaweed farms.

Another 3,000 fish farmers will also receive "smallfish cage assets and stocking materials" to help get them back on their feet.

Meanwhile, 3,500 women will be given start-up capital for fish vending and processing. "In addition to aquaculture programs, FAO will dedicate particular effort to post-harvest activities in which mainly women are employed," the release said.

FAO said the program is part of a $7-million intervention to help 14,400 fisherfolk in the Eastern Visayas, Western Visayas, and in Northern Palawan who lost their sources of food and income in the typhoon.

The program is expected to improve the lives of around 85,000 people in the fisheries sector. — JDS, GMA News