Longline fishing will boost revenue, no reason not to do it: Minister Shiyam

Allowing longline fishing will generate significant revenue for the local fisheries industry without causing any adverse effects to the Maldives, Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources Ahmed Shiyam said today.

The Cabinet has decided to permit longline fishing for yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, and swordfish in the Maldives, following which the ministry has also compiled new guidelines to regulate the practice.

This has led to multiple organizations expressing concern over the Cabinet's decision, citing several reasons why allowing longline fishing may be detrimental to both the environment and the economy. They also highlighted that this move could result in actions being taken against the Maldives by the European Union (EU).

While this fishing practice was previously permitted in the country, EU audits revealed illegal transfers of catch between vessels, leading to warnings against the country. In response, the former administration banned longline fishing.

However, Minister Shiyam stated that the EU never requested the Maldives to stop longline fishing. He said that the ban was a political decision made by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

In a press conference, Minister Shiyam stated that despite the Maldives' efforts over the past 12 years to reduce tariffs on fish exports to EU countries, progress has been unsuccessful. He said that although the Maldives is a champion of sustainable fisheries, the EU has not granted any concessions to the country.

Maldives's skipjack tuna fisheries use pole and line fishing, with one fish is caught at a time. Minister Shiyam pointed out that the EU has granted concessions to countries using multiple lines and nets, citing Sri Lanka as an example.

"Despite us [implementing] sustainable fisheries so much, why is such a huge duty being applied to us," the minister asked, adding that France, Portugal and Spain are among some of the countries that catch big-eye tuna in the Indian Ocean using setlines and nets.

He suggested that longline fishing is practiced in many countries, and added that Maldives is also trying to enter the practice to diversify its fisheries industry.

"Longline fishing is a method that can significantly increase profits for Maldivians. Why should we not pursue it? Just like with skipjack tuna fishing, we're aiming to implement it in the most sustainable and manageable way," the minister said.

"Not doing it while the industry is so profitable? [I] think the people would want to do the things necessary to increase out revenue earned from the ocean."

Moving forward with the decision, the minister assured that the ministry will continue to monitor longline fishing. He said that the fishing method would only be allowed after a monitoring capacity system is established at the ministry to observe and monitor the vessels and their compliance to regulations.

While environmental organizations disagree with this decision and continue to express serious concerns, their primary worry is the negative impact longline fishing may have on endangered species such as sharks and rays, which could become bycatch.

Dolphins, sharks, seabirds, turtles, and other species often become bycatch in longline fishing. There are concerns that these species, already at risk of extinction, may face further population decline due to longline fishing.

In the case of sharks, the Maldivian government has decided to allow sharks caught as bycatch to be processed in accordance with international standards. Minister Shiyam said that the main reason for this decision is to maintain a record of sharks caught.

"Previously, it was not possible to identify or account for the species or size of sharks caught. However, with the new regulations, we will be able to identify the type of sharks that are caught in the setlines," the minister said.

He further added that once the type and amount of sharks being caught in the lines are identified, changes would be brought to the regulations if necessary.

According to the ministry, the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission allows a quota of 47,000 tonnes of yellowfin tuna to be caught per year by the Maldives. However, the catch has been well below this limit at 30,000.

In addition to this, Maldives also gets a 2,000 tonne quota for big-eyed tunas.

From the 47,000 tonne quota, the Maldives has allocated only 17,000 tonnes for longline fishing each year. The Ministry confirmed that this quota will need to be purchased by local fishing vessels.

The Ministry said that failing to meet the quota could lead the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission to potentially reduce the quota altogether.

According to the Ministry, longline fishing will be permitted only outside the regular fishing area, approximately 100 miles from the country's archipelagic baseline, or in the high seas beyond the Maldivian maritime zone.

Longline fishing will be monitored, won't allow illegal shark trade: Ministry

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