An assessment of the Ponape Dory Project

Abstract

The Ponape Dory Project has been in existence for almost three years. It was begun in August 1972 with a Federal Office of Economic Opportunity grant of US $150,000. The initial grant was for a two-year period during which seven Oregon-type dories were to be constructed. The three original objectives of the project were: 1) to develop a program that would train Ponapeans to build, equip, and operate small, highly mobile, open fishing craft without outside assistance; 2) to initiate a training program in boat handling and motor maintenance and repair; and 3) to institute a similar training and demonstration program in the fishing methods deemed most appli-cable to Ponapean waters in an effort to exploit the full potential of the dory as a fishing platform.