25 May 2010
Yemen Liquefied Natural Gas Company (LNG) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in support of Yemen LNG's Sustainable Fisheries Program in the coastal areas around Balhaf, Shabwah Governorate.
The MoU, signed on May16 by Mr. Francois Rafin, Yemen LNG's General Manager, and Dr. Jeff Ashley, USAID Mission Director, establishes joint cooperation between the two groups to share experiences, technologies and resources for improving the incomes of local fishing communities in the targeted areas.
François Rafin, General Manager of Yemen LNG, said that sustainable development programs started with the installation of Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs) to increase the fish catch and to allow fishing in safe coastal waters. Additional programs included water supply, road construction, power generation, food supply, environmental protection and schools.
Rafin talked highly about the success of FADs' projects, saying that the successes achieved by FADs projects attracted new partners to invest, which will improve people's lives in the region.
Rafin said Yemen LNG's 5-Year (2008-2013) Sustainable Community Development Program includes a fisheries program to help fishermen move to sustainable fisheries by increasing fish catches in the offshore region and reducing unsustainable fishing pressure on the coastal and coral associated fisheries in order to support coastal communities neighboring Yemen LNG operations. The installation of Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs) in the project area proved to be highly successful in attracting pelagic fish, including long tail and yellowfin tuna, and opening up new fishing opportunities from a shared resource with other countries of the Indian Ocean Region, Rafin said. Following success of the pilot phase of the FADs project that included three devices, Yemen LNG installed nine more FADs during 2009, providing increased fishing opportunities from sustainable fish stocks, reduced operating costs and improved markets and income to the al-Ayn Bay and Bir Ali based fishermen.
USAID, through its partnership with Yemen LNG, aims to improve the lives of residents in and around Balhaf through the creation of new livelihoods opportunities. As USAID is engaged in a range of development activities in Yemen, it intends to leverage its expertise and resources by collaborating with Yemen LNG on its Fisheries Program in support of Yemen's coastal communities. USAID support includes providing funding to MacAlister, Elliott and Partners (MEP), a UK based consulting company, for data collection and analysis, equipment supply to aid data collection and analyses and for the implementation of a community management system for the FADs project. Both parties see this fisheries project as a launching pad for many more joint USAID/Yemen LNG projects to come in the near future.
Next to the Balhaf LNG plant, 3000 people inhabit the fishing villages of Bir Ali and Jela'a. Yemen LNG carried out a fishermen compensation program of $ 2.5 million and constructed new breakwaters at Jela'a to mitigate the installation of the Yemen LNG terminal, Rafin said.
Rafin talked about new sustainable development programs which will develop water and electricity supply and health care. He continued saying that thirty employment opportunities are now in the process of being developed for Jela'a and Bir Ali communities at the Yemen LNG Balhaf plant.
The USAID project underscores the importance of the Yemen LNG's FADs project. USAID, as a first rank US agency, will monitor the impact of the FADs project using new fish landing data system technology.
This independent evaluation using scientific tools will provide extremely useful information for the steering of the fisheries' sustainable development projects.
"More security at sea, improved welfare in the villages (i.e. water, electricity, health care, schools), improved fish stock resources and jobs at the Yemen LNG plant - these are the goals of Yemen LNG and of the fishing communities. With USAID monitoring the fish stock with scientific technology, we will deliver," said Rafin.
For his part, Dr. Jeff Ashely, USAID Mission Director in Yemen, said USAID, through its alliance with Yemen LNG and the Yemeni government, will implement a fisheries project that would improve the lives of many fishermen and their families in and around the Balhaf costal area. He continued saying this project intends to increase fish catches in the offshore region and reduce unsustainable fishing pressure on the coastal and coral associated fisheries. This will be achieved through the installation of FADs that have proven to be highly successful in attracting many types of fish, including tuna.
Ashely continued, saying, "we are pleased that USAID will have the opportunity to fund three key activities, namely data collection and analysis, equipment supply and community management for the FADs project."
Abdul-Salam al-Shamsi, head of the sustainable development program, offered a presentation about Yemen LNG's contributions and social responsibility toward people there, including fish electricity and water projects aiming at developing their lives.
Officials from the Ministry of Oil and Minerals, Yemen LNG and USAID attended the signing of the agreement.
Yemen Liquefied Natural Gas Company (LNG) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in support of Yemen LNG's Sustainable Fisheries Program in the coastal areas around Balhaf, Shabwah Governorate.
The MoU, signed on May16 by Mr. Francois Rafin, Yemen LNG's General Manager, and Dr. Jeff Ashley, USAID Mission Director, establishes joint cooperation between the two groups to share experiences, technologies and resources for improving the incomes of local fishing communities in the targeted areas.
François Rafin, General Manager of Yemen LNG, said that sustainable development programs started with the installation of Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs) to increase the fish catch and to allow fishing in safe coastal waters. Additional programs included water supply, road construction, power generation, food supply, environmental protection and schools.
Rafin talked highly about the success of FADs' projects, saying that the successes achieved by FADs projects attracted new partners to invest, which will improve people's lives in the region.
Rafin said Yemen LNG's 5-Year (2008-2013) Sustainable Community Development Program includes a fisheries program to help fishermen move to sustainable fisheries by increasing fish catches in the offshore region and reducing unsustainable fishing pressure on the coastal and coral associated fisheries in order to support coastal communities neighboring Yemen LNG operations. The installation of Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs) in the project area proved to be highly successful in attracting pelagic fish, including long tail and yellowfin tuna, and opening up new fishing opportunities from a shared resource with other countries of the Indian Ocean Region, Rafin said. Following success of the pilot phase of the FADs project that included three devices, Yemen LNG installed nine more FADs during 2009, providing increased fishing opportunities from sustainable fish stocks, reduced operating costs and improved markets and income to the al-Ayn Bay and Bir Ali based fishermen.
USAID, through its partnership with Yemen LNG, aims to improve the lives of residents in and around Balhaf through the creation of new livelihoods opportunities. As USAID is engaged in a range of development activities in Yemen, it intends to leverage its expertise and resources by collaborating with Yemen LNG on its Fisheries Program in support of Yemen's coastal communities. USAID support includes providing funding to MacAlister, Elliott and Partners (MEP), a UK based consulting company, for data collection and analysis, equipment supply to aid data collection and analyses and for the implementation of a community management system for the FADs project. Both parties see this fisheries project as a launching pad for many more joint USAID/Yemen LNG projects to come in the near future.
Next to the Balhaf LNG plant, 3000 people inhabit the fishing villages of Bir Ali and Jela'a. Yemen LNG carried out a fishermen compensation program of $ 2.5 million and constructed new breakwaters at Jela'a to mitigate the installation of the Yemen LNG terminal, Rafin said.
Rafin talked about new sustainable development programs which will develop water and electricity supply and health care. He continued saying that thirty employment opportunities are now in the process of being developed for Jela'a and Bir Ali communities at the Yemen LNG Balhaf plant.
The USAID project underscores the importance of the Yemen LNG's FADs project. USAID, as a first rank US agency, will monitor the impact of the FADs project using new fish landing data system technology.
This independent evaluation using scientific tools will provide extremely useful information for the steering of the fisheries' sustainable development projects.
"More security at sea, improved welfare in the villages (i.e. water, electricity, health care, schools), improved fish stock resources and jobs at the Yemen LNG plant - these are the goals of Yemen LNG and of the fishing communities. With USAID monitoring the fish stock with scientific technology, we will deliver," said Rafin.
For his part, Dr. Jeff Ashely, USAID Mission Director in Yemen, said USAID, through its alliance with Yemen LNG and the Yemeni government, will implement a fisheries project that would improve the lives of many fishermen and their families in and around the Balhaf costal area. He continued saying this project intends to increase fish catches in the offshore region and reduce unsustainable fishing pressure on the coastal and coral associated fisheries. This will be achieved through the installation of FADs that have proven to be highly successful in attracting many types of fish, including tuna.
Ashely continued, saying, "we are pleased that USAID will have the opportunity to fund three key activities, namely data collection and analysis, equipment supply and community management for the FADs project."
Abdul-Salam al-Shamsi, head of the sustainable development program, offered a presentation about Yemen LNG's contributions and social responsibility toward people there, including fish electricity and water projects aiming at developing their lives.
Officials from the Ministry of Oil and Minerals, Yemen LNG and USAID attended the signing of the agreement.
By Faisal Darem
© Yemen Observer 2010
