2-year ban on abalone fishing
MUSCAT: The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has banned the fishing of abalone in 2017 and 2018 seasons just a week before the start of the abalone fishing season on December 7.
With the exclusion of fishing companies and individual fishermen who possess registered quantities of abalone, the decision bans the possession, sale, purchase, distribution, transport storage and export of abalone during the two seasons which means dealing in abalone will be restricted solely to registered quantities.
Commenting to Oman Arabic, sister publication of the Observer, Dr Abdulaziz bin Said al Marzouqi, Director-General of Fisheries Development, at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries said that the 2-season ban on the fishing of abalone is aimed at preserving and sustaining abalone reserve.
The decision is based on surveys conducted by the concerned bodies.
The recently-conducted surveys showed that abalone reserve in the Governorate of Dhofar have been affected prompting action to enhance reproduction.
Al Marzouqi rebuffed rumours that the prices of Omani abalone in the global market have been hurt due to the expansion in abalone farming in China adding that the Omani abalone species have high nutritional value compared to those produced through fish farming.
The prices of the Omani abalone have remained unchanged in the Japanese market and other markets, he added.
Meanwhile, tomorrow (Thursday) will mark the end of the shrimp fishing season on the Sultanate’s coasts for the current year in the governorates of South Al Sharqiyah, and Al Wusta and some wilayats of Dhofar Governorate.
The season began on September 1 and lasted for three months.
The ministry of agriculture and fisheries has called on the fishing companies and fishermen as well as restaurants, hotels and individuals involved in the sale, buy and export of abalone to register their quantities of shrimp after the end of the fishing season warning that dealing in abalone will be confined to the registered quantities only.