Fishermen sit in new fishing boats in Labutta last July. Pic: AFP

ALTHOUGH most fishermen in the Ayeyarwady delta have received some form of support from the government or private donors to help them recover from cyclone Nargis, more aid is needed to help the fishery sector return to normal, said an official from the Myanmar Fishery Federation (MFF).

“In the delta we see fishermen on the river but there are not as many boats as before the storm,” the official said.

“Most fishermen received boats and fishing nets from the government or from donors, but many only received one or the other and many still need additional support,” he said.

Since the storm the MFF, in cooperation with the government, has built and distributed about 10,000 fishing boats – each 21 feet in length – as well as various kinds of fishing nets to delta fishermen.

But the Post-Nargis Periodic Review released last month by the Tripartite Core Group indicated that many of the boats and fishing nets lost by delta fishermen in the storm have still not been replaced.

Boats are used not only in the fishery sector but also for transportation around the delta and along rivers. More than three quarters of delta households that lost their boats in the cyclone have not been able to replace them, the report said.

It also said that 73 percent of delta households that had fishing nets prior to the cyclone no longer have any such equipment.

Many fishermen have also said that the 21-foot boats supplied by MFF, while adequate for fishing on inland waterways, were not suitable for the open sea.

Delta fishermen who live along the coast are accustomed to working 3 to 5 miles from the shore, spending two or three nights at sea with a crew of three to five fishermen. They must also carry for the boat engine, fishing equipment and ice to store the catch.

“The 21-foot boats are good for working on calm water but we need boats that are about 35 feet long for fishing on rough water in the open sea,” said one man from Kungyangon township in Yangon Division who received a small boat from the federation in July.

Meanwhile, the Department of Fisheries and MFF continue to invite donations from those who want to help supply delta fishermen with new boats and nets.

According to the Post-Nargis Joint Assessment published by the Tripartite Core Group in July, cyclone Nargis caused about K159,055 million in damage to the fishery sector – about K125,541 million to capture fisheries and the balance to fish farms.