Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources has said that longline fishing will not be permitted in the Northern atolls, which is where yellowfin tuna is caught most prominently.
Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources has said that longline fishing will not be permitted in the Northern atolls, which is where yellowfin tuna is caught most prominently.
The Ministry has recently compiled new guidelines after a Cabinet decision to allow longline fishing for yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna and billfish in the Maldives.
Following this, many environmental NGOs voiced out against this, citing several reasons why allowing longline fishing may be detrimental to the environment and economy. Yellowfin Tuna Fishermen's Union also raised concerns.
Fisheries Ministry said today that the permit for longline fishing would be issued for areas where handline fishers are not usually active. The permits will be issued for 100 miles outside the archipelagic baseline of Maldives.
They said that longline fishing will remain banned in the northern region, where handline fishing is most practiced, stating that this has been done to prevent any loss to yellowfin tuna fishermen.
As per the ministry, longline fishing would be allowed from east and west of Addu atoll to south of Raa atoll Alifushi. They said that their records indicate yellowfin tuna fisheries is most prominently conducted north of Alifushi.
The Ministry further said that longline fishing permits cannot be issued in the south of Addu atoll. This is because 100 miles outside of this is now Chagos territory.
The Ministry said that longline fishing can be conducted in the high seas 200 miles outside of Maldives' seas. This is an area where vessels from different countries conduct longline fishing.
Some of the countries that fish for bigeye tuna through net and longline fishing in the Indian Ocean include France, Portugal and Spain.
Yellowfin tuna fishermen remain concerned about the issue despite these statements from the ministry. Fishermen and concerned NGOs have also planned to stage protests against permitting longline fishing today.
Some concerns of yellowfin tuna fishermen include:
- Lack of local fishing vessels that can obtain longline fishing permits as per the guidelines that have been set
- That only specific types of boats will be issued permits by the government as per the regulations
The fishermen maintain that this would present major disadvantage and loss to Maldivian fishermen.
The government has decided to issue longline fishing permits to vessels that meet certain requirements. The vessels will also be fitted with vessel locating devices and electronic monitoring systems so as to properly monitor the vessel's movements.
The regulations also stipulate that departure clearance permits must be sought before leaving on fishing trips. Vessels can only depart on longline fishing trips from the Hulhumale' harbour.
The Ministry assures that these measures would allow for proper monitoring of longline fishing. Ministry said that the devices would allow vessels to be monitored in real time, with their locations and destinations being tracked.
The Ministry went on to say that the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission has given a quota of 47000 tonnes of yellowfin tuna to the Maldives. However, even in the past ten years, the catch amount has been at approximately 30,000 tonnes. The quota for bigeye tuna is 2000 tonnes.
The Ministry stated that if fisheries does not reach the quota provided, there is a chance that the quota could be decreased, revealing that this has been discussed to an extent already. Indian Ocean Tuna Commission has set the quotas in consideration of marine biodiversity and sustainable fishing, they said, adding that fishing to these limits would not cause adverse effects.
The Ministry said that longline fishing for yellowfin tuna will be set at a quota of 17,000 tonnes in the Maldives. They said that vessels will have to buy these quotas.
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