Fishermen raise concerns over Avatele winch

Concerns have been raised by fishermen and some charter fishing operators that the public winch located at Avatele Ramp sometimes cannot work due to power or equipment failure. 

The winch is installed by the Fisheries division of the DAFF and one of the fisheries officers told BCN News that they are aware of these concerns and have made their investigations. They found that the power box located at the site has been accessed by someone and the power turned off. This has created issues for boat-users when they need to use the winch.

Fisheries Niue says that the winch is put there to provide an alternative access for boat-users during the times when the main wharf in Alofi is not available for example, during boat days or in times of bad weather. 

BCN News contacted the government’s Regulator for Niue Power who said that he was not aware of these concerns, but he cautions the members of the public should not be tampering with Niue government’s power equipment located around the island.

The Avatele Village Council also share these concerns and remind the public who visit the Avatele ramp not to touch any of the equipment there. 

The running costs of power and winch maintenance is paid for by the Niue government. The fisheries division says that the winch will be dismantled and removed in a few weeks time for the cyclone season.