WILMER JOEL
Around 47 participants from Life Skills Academy, Assumption High School, Marshall Islands High School and local residents participated in an industry dialogue organized by FISH4ACP, Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority, and Alele Museum at Marshall Islands Resort’s Lomalo Room last week.
The discussion focused on youth employment opportunities, fishing, and Marshallese culture.
Presenters from Alele and MIMRA opened the first half of the program. Alele’s Langinbo Frank and Solynn Bajo spoke on the importance of fishing and tuna in traditional culture. MIMRA’s Chief Fisheries Officer Beau Bigler gave a talk about the value of the fishing sector to the modern Marshall Islands economy.
Local photographer and filmmaker Chewy Lin showed a documentary he filmed, working with the LSA students to interview Marshallese employed in the fishing industry and promote more Marshallese-related industries.
During the last part of the program, students were asked how more Marshallese could be encouraged to enter the tuna fishing industry. In groups of three, the students came up with various responses, which they then displayed on a sheet and presented.
Among the suggestions made by the students were increasing salaries, bringing more attention in the media to tuna industry jobs, and supporting more educational opportunities for Marshallese students to experience the industry.