The Palau National Marine Sanctuary, in collaboration with the Bureau of Marine Resources, Koror State Government, the Office of the President, and The Nature Conservancy, had started a program in July 2017 to revitalize the deployment of fish aggregation devices (FADs) to the state waters of Palau.
FADs are manmade devices, usually consisting of an anchor, several buoys, and mooring line, meant to attract pelagic fish species. The purpose of the deployment of these FADs is to develop the Domestic Fishing Zone created by the PNMS Act, to be used to the advantage of local fishermen.
From July 2017 to July 2018, five near shore FADs have been deployed in five different states in Babeldaob. One more FAD is set to be deployed in Ngchesar by the end of August 2018, and there are plans to extend this coverage to all states, including Peleliu and Angaur.
Governor Florencio Adelbai, and two fishermen from Ngchesar, visited the construction site at the Bureau of Marine Resources on August 7, 2018 where Erbai Yukiwo and Roman Mongami of BMR are finishing the FAD which will be deployed in that state. (PR)
All maps and coordinates of the current FADs may be obtained at the Palau National Marine Sanctuary Office (PNMS) at 488-4285, or the Bureau of Marine Resources (BMR) at 488-3125.