BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: Grenada’s artisan fishing industry will receive significant assistance to recover from the ravages of Hurricane Ivan from the United States government through the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) hurricane recovery program. The USAID funded program supplements the Government of Grenada’s assistance to the sector and will provide critically needed technical assistance, supplies and training to facilitate boat and equipment repair, as well as training for on-going equipment maintenance by fishing boat owners whose boats are now not seaworthy due to hurricane related damages. USAID is helping local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), contractors and community-based organizations (CBOs) to bring additional resources to the recovery effort. These organizations provide local knowledge and expertise, materials and in-kind labor for a strong partnership at the community level thereby widening the reach and impact of USAID’s program. USAID’s initial assistance to the fishing community is being implemented in cooperation with Grenada Community Development Agency (GRENCODA), a non-profit, non-governmental rural development organization that services much of the country’s rural areas. Grenada’s artisan fishing industry suffered major damage to its fleet and equipment. More than 2,200 fishermen and women suffered losses of engines, hulls, gear, safety equipment, communicating facilities, seines and housing/storage facilities. Damage to the fisheries sector has been estimated at more than EC$5,732,500. According to Karen Turner, Mission Director of USAID for Jamaica and the Caribbean Regional Program, “assistance to the fishing community is a small but significant part of a broad program of USAID and Government of Grenada sponsored efforts to assist with recovery, which includes extensive rehabilitation of physical infrastructure, technical and financial assistance to businesses, credit programs, skills training in several key sectors, and other activities intended to revitalize the economy”. Turner outlined that, in addition to financing the repair of 15 to 25 small and medium-sized fishing boats, USAID’s funded program will train fishermen and women to maintain their boats and equipment. The program will also supplement current Government efforts to restore all reasonably repairable fishing boats to sea-worthiness. In addition, to ensure sustainability of the USAID funded program, at least four boat owners will receive sufficient training to be able to provide leadership and on-going guidance to the boat owners of the fishing communities regarding boat and equipment maintenance and repair. Furthermore, participating fishermen and women will receive a stipend during the six-week training program. Training began on January 17, 2005 with an assessment of damage and materials needed for repair. The selected fishing boat owners have agreed to supply approximately one-half of the materials and labor necessary to repair their boats as part of their commitment to rebuilding after the hurricane. Karen Turner also stated that the USAID funded program would form the basis for additional assistance for fishing boat repair to be implemented in fishing communities elsewhere in Grenada. Reprinted from Caribbean Net News caribbeannetnews.com