WILLEMSTAD - Last Saturday, a vessel departed from the Parera harbor carrying six new Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) to be installed at various locations along Curaçao’s coastline. As with the launch of the earlier phases of the project, Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas, who is also responsible for the Agriculture, Environment, and Nature portfolio, joined the crew on board and took part in the installation team.

During a recent meeting between Minister Pisas, Minister Middelhof, and local fishermen who rely on the FAD system, the importance of these buoys for improving fish abundance was strongly emphasized.

Six New FADs Installed Around the Island

The Ministry of GMN has now deployed six additional FADs at strategic points across Curaçao’s waters. The new installations are located at:

Punt’i Angua – 12˚23.803’ N, 69˚3.437’ W – depth 713 m 

Watamula / Piedra Pretu – 12˚27.302’ N, 69˚8.656’ W – depth 1,000 m 

Lagun – 12˚19.638’ N, 69˚10.316’ W – depth 792 m 

Santa Cruz – 12˚17.810’ N, 69˚10.610’ W – depth 813 m 

Kaap – 12˚10.725’ N, 69˚4.592’ W – depth 582 m 

Off Piskadera – 12˚2.942’ N, 69˚0.813’ W – depth 975 m

Minister Pisas personally joined the crew at sea to observe and support the deployment of the buoys.

Protecting Traditional Fishing and Increasing Local Supply

According to Pisas, it is crucial to protect traditional fishing jobs while simultaneously increasing local catch and improving the income of Curaçao’s fishermen. Since the launch of the initiative under his leadership, a total of 18 FADs have already been installed, with the goal of reaching 25 FADs by the end of the project.

The increased presence of FADs has already resulted in higher catches of species such as dolphinfish (buni)—to the extent that Curaçao may soon no longer need to import buni at current levels.

The minister stresses that the deployment of these FADs is vital not only for sustaining the livelihoods of traditional fishermen but also for strengthening the island’s food security.