A new fisheries association based on Gemanafushi, an island in the Maldives, has joined non-profit association International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF) so as to support its goal to create awareness in the local community and encourage younger generations to become part of a sustainable pole-and-line industry. Established in February 2018, the Maldivian association, called Gemanafushi Masverin, updates and educates fishermen on the latest technologies and management measures being used across the broader fishing industry. The organisation is committed to ensuring that all laws, regulations and best practices used in the one-by-one fishing sector are adhered to, as well as assisting the Maldivian government and non-government stakeholders in their support of the island’s fishing community. One-by-one fishing provides livelihood opportunities for thousands of Maldivian citizens and one of our most important functions is to convey how essential this sector’s contribution is to the Gemanafushi community’s way of life, pointed out Ahmed Shafiu Founding Member of Gemanafushi Masverin. On welcoming the association to IPNLF, Martin Purves, its Managing Director of IPNLF, commented that it is inspiring to see such strong commitments being made at a local level to promote sustainable one-by-one fishing, to support the island’s coastal community and to encourage new recruits to the sector. IPNL director also stressed that it is one of our top priorities that these traditional fisheries and the people and communities connected to them are supported as they set about building a viable long-term future. Through its membership of IPNLF, Gemanafushi Masverin joins a growing network of tuna supply chain stakeholders from all over the world that are supporting work to enhance the supply of one-by-one caught tuna, and strengthening the value that these fisheries bring to the coastal environments and communities connected to them.
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