JAALAN BANI BU HASSAN: The Lobster Fishing Season 2017 ended last Sunday in all the governorates of the Sultanate, which is the first season of sea fishing set by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries for two months each year from early March to the end of April. Other fishing seasons will follow for many marine resources in the upcoming months. The Lobster fishing season is one of the most important seasons for many fishermen who make a good economic return during the season. Omani waters are abundant in demersal, pelagic and crustaceans, which represent a great wealth and are characterised by high nutritional value and high prices in local and international markets.
These fishermen annually fish lobster in the coastal wilayats of the governorates of (Dhofar, Al Wusta and South Al Sharqiyah) overlooking the Arabian Sea.
These governorates enjoy marine sites rich in lobster due to the nature of the Arabian Sea and its distinctive marine biodiversity where the lobster live between rocks and coral reefs.
The fishing seasons are applied in accordance with the Fishing Law in order to preserve the marine resources and to reproduce them in all kinds.
Fishing seasons represent economic, social and cultural importance for the residents of the coastal areas in the governorates.
The seasons vary between fishing (Lobster, squid, shrimp and Kingfish).
Salim bin Sultan al Oraimi, Director of Fish Development Department in Jaalan Bani Bu Ali, said that positive economic indicators were recorded in terms of quantities of production and sizes of lobsters that were caught this year.
He added in a statement to Oman News Agency (ONA) that the Sultanate’s production of lobster during the last year 2016 according to the statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries reached 485 tonnes compared to 416 tonnes during 2015, an increase of 69 tonnes.
He added that the Governorate of Dhofar ranked first in terms of quantity of fishing lobster in 2016 that estimated at 285 tonnes followed by the Governorate of South Al Sharqiyah with 95 tonnes and Al Wusta with 87 tonnes.
Lobster has a good purchasing value ranging from RO 4 to 5 per kilogram. Oman exported 98 tonnes to the markets of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and some Asian and European countries.
Around 20,000 Omanis work in the fishing sector in Oman, according to the Ministry’s figures. This natural wealth is located in the area adjacent to the Arabian Sea from the Wilayat of Dhalkut in the Governorate of Dhofar to Ras al Hadd in the Governorate of South Al Sharqiyah. — ONA
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