Fisheries Labs set for launch on September 17

The launch which is for six weeks will be held in the presence of government officials and experts, as well as representatives from the private sector.
The Fisheries Labs comes as a government initiative and is being one of the promising sectors included in the 9th Five-Year Development Plan (2016-2020). The labs are organised by the Ministry of the Agriculture and Fisheries, in cooperation with the Implementation Support and Follow-up Unit.

The fisheries sector in the Sultanate witnessed a quantum leap during the past six years 2011-2016 represented in the growth rates of fish production, production value, contribution to GDP and other performance indicators, achieving rates higher than expected. The labs will focus on three main aspects to discuss and explore their challenges trying to come out with initiatives on aquaculture, catch, processing and export.

The artisanal fishermen are a vital part of the fisheries sector in the Sultanate as the artisanal fishing fleet contributes with a large percentage of fish production, which is estimated at 99 per cent of the total production. The importance is not only economic, but also have some social and cultural aspects.

The artisanal fishing fleet contributes greatly to the supply of fish in the local markets and provides employment opportunities for national manpower. And when looking at the number of artisanal fishermen in the coastal states of the Sultanate, one can realise that these fishermen help in social and economic stability of their families.
In order to provide fish in the local markets and ensure food security in the Sultanate, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries conducts various programmes and projects to develop the capabilities of artisanal fishermen in the coastal governorates, boost up total production and encourage fishermen to keep on their long tradition. The circle of interest also includes the children of those fishermen as it is important to ensure the succession of the fishing profession throughout generations. Therefore, the ministry has organised a number of training workshops for the children of fishermen and received a positive feedback from the targeted families.
According to the statistics of the Ministry until the end of 2016, the Sultanate’s total production of fish amounted to about 280,000 tonnes that is a growth rate of 9 per cent compared to 2015 production that amounted to 257,000 tonnes.

There are currently 24 ports on the shores of the Sultanate contributing to the increase of the fish production from 158,000 tonnes in 2011 to approximately 280,000 tonnes by the end of 2016 that is a growth rate of 12 per cent.
With regards to the fisheries stocks and consumable quantities, the Ministry estimated that the biomass of benthic fish is around 330,000 tonnes, of which about 95,000 tonnes can be used. Currently, used quantity is more than 63,000 tonnes.

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