Installation and maintenance of FADs by the Government of Guam began in 1979, initially with funding from the Salstonstall-Kennedy Act through the Pacific Tuna Development Foundation. Current funding for the Guam FAD project is provided through the Dingell-Johnson/Wallop-Breaux Sport Fish Restoration programme, a Federal Aid Project funded by taxes collected on the purchase of fishing equipment and motorboat fuels nationwide. There are now sixteen operational FAD sites in Guam's waters. At a cost of approximately US$10,000 per system, concern for the rising costs of replacing and maintaining FAD systems has prompted the Department of Agriculture's Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources (DAWR) to investigate alternative FAD maintenance strategies and... |