Last Thursday, Caribeña Cooperative Chairman,
Mr. Manuel Heredia Jr., received a welcome visit from Honorable Daniel Silva,
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Cooperatives. Minister Silva presented
Mr. Heredia with a $20,000 check to be distributed to members who lost their
fishing equipment (lobster shades and traps) during Hurricane Keith. Mr. Heredia
stated that the distribution will be done according to the percentage of loss by
each member. Coastal Zone Management Authority and
Institute (CZMA/I) also presented a check to help Caribeña members recuperate
from their losses. CZMA/I gave $5,600 which was distributed in equal parts to
all the members. CZMA/I recognized that the fishing industry needed assistance
if it were to recover, therefore the organization developed a project proposal
designed to rehabilitate, build or purchase lobster traps to replace those that
were lost. That proposal was approved by the United Nations Development
Program/Global Environmental Facility Project (UNDP/GEF) which provided grant
funds to the tune of $98,000 for the purchase of lobster
traps. The Chairman, management and members of Caribeña
Cooperative would like to express their sincere gratitude to Minister Silva and
CZMA/I for their generous donation.
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