Customers can be part of the sustainability plan to protect fish stock

MUSCAT: Yellowfin tuna, one of the most popular fish, is much in demand in Oman.
But it is also one of the fish that is highly monitored to maintain sustainability. While present year-round, the peak season for increased catch and large schools is generally from January to May.
The price for 80kg of yellowfin tuna can reach up to RO 60. In Muscat, Qurayat is known for yellowfin tuna, and in Dhofar Governorate, Salalah is known for yellowfin landings.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources (MoAFWR) protects yellowfin tuna stocks through strict regulations, including the use of sustainable fishing methods, gear restrictions and monitoring to prevent overfishing.
The fish markets get busy once the fishermen bring their catch as early as 4 am in the morning and customers begin to pour in even after 10 am.
Said al Saadi, a data collector from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, comes to the Muttrah fish market in every day to measure the size of certain protected types of fish.
'A yellowfin tuna that is less than 37 cm should not be sold as per the rule,' explained Al Saadi.
It is tuna season in Oman. There are seasonal bans on different types of marine species, for example, the nine-month shrimp fishing ban, commencing on December 1, and abalone harvesting restrictions to ensure stock sustainability.
When a seasonal ban is issued, the operators must register remaining stock immediately to avoid penalties.
'If it is not their season and they catch the fish, it affects the stock. The size of the fish is important,' explained Khalifa al Maqbali, a researcher at the MoAFWR.
'Customers can be part of the sustainability initiative and not buy juvenile fish. They should not buy it. We try to teach people not to buy these things, but if they buy it, they encourage fishermen to catch juvenile fish more. And this will eventually affect and deplete the stock,' advised Al Maqbali.
The collection of data and research is part of key initiatives that protect juvenile fish, monitoring stock through the Fisheries Resources Survey Project, and imposing strict penalties, such as licence suspension, to ensure sustainable marine resources.
The ministry promotes long-term sustainability by managing, regulating and studying tuna fisheries, which are essential to the Omani economy and, specifically, the yellowfin, and now customers can play their part too.
The ministry protects fish stocks by enforcing seasonal bans, banning destructive gear, restricting fishing in sensitive areas and strengthening surveillance against illegal fishing. The imposed specific and temporal bans allow species to breed, rejuvenate, and ensure replenishment. Certain purse seine nets are banned to protect juvenile fish.