RAROTONGA, Cook Islands (February 1, 2001 – Cook Islands Television/PINA Nius Online)---The southern Cook Islands can now look forward to greater economic benefits from their marine resources, Marine Resources Secretary Navy Epati said.
Each southern group island fishing club has been allocated NZ$ 22,000 (US$ 9,789) to set up the onshore facilities to process fish caught by their fishermen, he said.
Through the cooperation of Air Rarotonga, the fish will then be flown to Rarotonga, where there has been a shortage, he said.
Fishermen from these islands are keen to participate in adding value to their catch following allocation of funding for the development project, said Epati.
So often a ministry plans projects and then has to look for funding, but in this case, said Epati, he had the funds first. Thus he could enter into project planning with the outer islands with confidence that the projects would be implemented.
"The skepticism I initially...