Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources, Jelta Wong, shared the vision of the Government captured through the Medium Term Development Plan (4) to ensure that resources including Fisheries and Marine resources are transitioning.
He stated this when signing a Memorandum of Understanding as Minister responsible for Fisheries, with the Gulf Provincial Government on Sunday July 16th, 2023.
Minister Wong said from a Fisheries perspective, licensing must be issued to companies that show a genuine willingness to farm and process onshore.
“We have big plans to make Gulf the prawn fingerling hub of the country and create an unrealized revenue stream in the province. If Saudi Arabia can export prawns out of the desert, what is stopping us utilizing our abundance to sustainably maintain a revenue stream for the people of Gulf,” Minister Wong stated.
Gulf Governor, Sir Chris Haiveta, shared his concerns on an emerging trend where children are leaving school to partake in fishing activities. He was concerned about the Integral Human Development and Social implications that this creates.
He asked the National Fisheries Authority to consider Mangrove Habitat Protection programs and awareness to ensure the protection and sustainability of the industry in the province.
Overall Sir Chris and representatives from the Gulf Provincial Administration were satisfied with the intent of the MOU.
He said this was an improvement on the previous MOUs that he had cited; and expressed a willingness to work with Minister Wong and NFA, to ensure that all parties deliver on the agreements captured within the confines of the MOU.
“Gulf people will enjoy oil revenues for a long time to come – but the more income the people generate themselves is more sustainable. Not all people of Gulf will directly benefit from those revenues,” said the Governor.
“The Gulf Provincial Government is committed to putting our financial resources into this MOU, and even committing more to satisfy our SME programs which will be more far reaching.”