Articles

• Open for Business
• 10 Questions for the Coastal Storms Program
• Coastal Groups Show Interest in Organized Land Conservation
• Committee Charged with Plan to Keep Waterfronts Accessible
• Miller to Specialize in Water Quality
• Sea Urchins Spawn Learning
• Asian Fishermen Net Loan, Gear Information at Business Workshop
• Volunteers Can Learn to be Oyster Gardeners
• Featured Publication
• From the Director

Sea Briefs is a report on the results of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium.

Editor: Laura Bowie

This newsletter is available in PDF format from:
masgc.org/seabriefs

MASGC supports applied, interdisciplinary marine science research, education and outreach efforts to foster the sustainable development and management of the Mississippi and Alabama coasts and nearshore ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico

Mississippi-Alabama
Sea Grant Consortium
703 East Beach Drive
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
Phone: 228-818-8838
E-mail: seabriefs@masgc.org
MASGP 09-011-01

Asian fishermen net loan, gear
information at business workshop

Approximately 25 Vietnamese-American fishermen recently attended a financial and business advice workshop in Biloxi, Miss., at the Hope Coordination Center. The focus of the workshop was to introduce attendees to new technologies in fishing gear and to highlight business loan opportunities.

Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Fisheries Technologist Peter Nguyen told shrimpers about a new type of webbing, called Sapphire netting. Although this lighter, stronger material costs about twice as much as nylon, shrimpers who have used it have reported saving money on fuel.

“The nets can pay for themselves in the long run and increase profits,” Nguyen said.

In addition, Leo Esclamado of the National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies (NAVASA) told shrimpers there are funds available to help them outfit skimmer boats with equipment necessary to harvest oysters. Esclamado noted that while the idea is not new, oystering can become an additional revenue source for fishermen who have small boats. There is a loan program that can help them get started.

Other NAVASA representatives presented financial opportunities, including information about the Access to Equity (A2E) program, which offers loans of $1,000 to $15,000, to refugees and low-income people who were devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The loans can be used to help rebuild, start or expand businesses. The program aims to make communities self-sufficient. One-on-one counseling, business plan development and access to financing options are some of the services included in the loan program.

Nguyen said that fishermen showed interest in the loan program and that 12 applications were started after the meeting. The workshop was sponsored by NAVASA, MASGC, Boat People SOS and Hope Coordination Center.