The Fisheries Department in Suva had laid off 30 boatbuilders in December 1992 because Japan had withdrawn its funding for the program. The article was published in this newspaper on Monday December 21, 1992.
The programs started in 1985 with Japanese government grants for the benefit of rural fishermen and the fishing industry in Fiji. According to a well-placed Ministry of Primary Industries source, the program collapsed when the Japanese government tried to gain free access to Fiji waters for fishing purposes in exchange for the grants.
The source said this “string attached” approach was not acceptable to Fiji Government. The Japanese stopped providing more grants this year.
“If the Japanese government seriously has the welfare of the people of Fiji at heart, then they must not have strings attached to their grants. This type of operation is nothing put political blackmail,” the source said.
He said the request to have free access to Fiji’s fishing grounds was not for the purpose of fishing but to influence Fiji into setting examples of fishing projects to other smaller regional islands to comply with the Japanese request. The sources said Japan had been resisting a bilateral treaty on fishing with the South Pacific because it wanted to have treaties with individual countries.
“For example, they could say to Tuvalu that they will get $2000 per ship entering their waters and if Tuvalu refuses, they could go to Kiribati and try to bribe them into getting free excess,” the source said.
“Individual treaties will allow the Japanese to fish in selected countries only.”
The source said the United Stated had already signed a bilateral treaty with the regional islands and all islands benefitted whether or not their fishing grounds were used by the visiting vessels.
He said over the seven years Fiji received about $20 million from the Japanese government. This included the building of a multi-million-dollar fishermen’s jetty in Lautoka and the installation of 13 ice plants around the country.
The program included the building of fishing vessels for sale to village fishermen willing to step into industrial fishing. These boats were built at the Fisheries Department in Lami. The Fisheries Department has sold over 300 boats since the program started in 1984.
One builder who was laid-off, Samuela Ravidiki said the termination was very untimely because Christmas was approaching and the family would not have must to celebrate.
“Everyone looks forward to a prosperous New Year but it looks like I will be looking into a bleak and uncertain future,” Mr Ravidiki said.
The boat building yard at the Fisheries Department in Lami. Picture: FILE
