Boat of the Month: Tautai Mua

The US Department of Commerce Fisheries Development Program in American Samoa took delivery of the first of four 37-foot by 14-foot catamaran longliner/deep-drop fishing vessels, Tautai Mua, headed to the South Pacific island.

The Tautai Mua’s mission is more training than fishing, according to Tony Langkilde, fisheries development project manager with the American Samoa Department of Commerce.

“Tautai Mua has a meaning,” he says. “Tautai is a title of respect for a Samoan fisherman, and Mua means first because this is the first boat, and it will be producing fisherman as much as fish. This boat and the next three are part of the project, the other part is a training program and business incubator.” The training program will enroll 15 fishermen per semester and teach them how to operate the new boats, Langkilde notes. “These boats are an upgrade from what we’re used to here,” he says.

“Our fishermen need to learn how to use them.”

ACI Boats in Port Townsend, Washington, won a $3 million dollar contract to build the four boats using the Super Alia design. “These are part of a project to help the fishermen in American Samoa, particularly Pago Pago, increase the quality of the fish they land and sell to a wider market,” says Mia Reade Baylor, ACI's sales and marketing coordinator. According to Reade Baylor, the Tautai Mua is an aluminum catamaran powered by a pair of 195-hp Yanmar diesel engines. The boat’s electronics package is all Garman: plotter, sounder, radar. The vessel has two fish holds of 75 cubic feet each, capable of holding an estimated 16,000 pounds of fish on ice.

Langkilde hopes that the project will lead to a better developed local fishery for the seven islands of American Samoa, and their combined population of around 57,000. He expects landings from the boats to supply local retail stores, restaurants, and school lunch programs with high-quality fish. “We also hope to export about 20 percent of the catch as sashimi-grade fish. We’re looking at markets in Hawaii and the West Coast,” he says.

Boat Specifications:

Name of Boat: Tautai Mua

Home Port: Pago Pago, American Samoa

Owner: American Samoa Department of Commerce

Builder: ACI Boats, Port Townsend, Washington

Hull Material: Aluminum

Year built: 2024

Fishery: Pelagic longlining and jigging for ground fish

Length: 37 feet

Beam: 14 feet

Engine: 2 x Yanmar 195hp 4LV

Auxiliary: Northern lights 5kw generator