Big harvest expected for Marshalls fish farm

1:33 pm on 9 September 2015

The first major harvest of a new fish-farming project in the Marshall Islands is anticipated later this month.

The mayor of Rongelap James Matayoshi with feed for the fish farming project

The mayor of Rongelap James Matayoshi with feed for the fish farming project Photo: Hilary Hosia

The Rongelap Mayor, James Matayoshi, says the fish, kept in large lagoon cages on the north shore of Majuro's lagoon, are almost ready for harvest.

He says he hopes the Marshall Islands will mature as a big company for export markets, saying the demand is there from the United States and Asia.

Mr Matayoshi says there's tens of thousands of fish growing in the cages anchored in protected lagoon waters.

The fish growing began as a pilot project in 2012 looking to take advantage of demand from Hawai'i.

The project has funding from US Agency for International Development's Pacific American Climate Fund, who paid a $US1.7 million grant for three years.