Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, today joined other countries of the international community in celebrating World Fisheries Day.
The event seeks to highlight the importance of fish resources, a drive to unify countries' efforts to ensure the proper exploitation and sustainability of fisheries resources due to their significance at social, economic and environmental levels.
In recent years, the fisheries sector in Oman saw a 16 percent rise in fisheries growth rates. Between 2017 and 2022, fish production increased from 347,000 tons to 748,000 tons.
The value of fish production doubled from RO 227 million in 2017 to OMR468 million in 2022.
The fishing activity's contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) surged by 235 percent between 2011 and 2022, while fish exports increased from 197,000 tons in 2017 to 248,000 tons in 2022.
The fish farming sector is considered one of the leading sectors in Oman. There are two types of fish farming projects. The first type is “integrated fish farming”, in which 28 projects operate. The second type is “commercial fish farming”, in which 16 projects operate.
The total production of farmed fish in 2022 stood at about 3,468 tons, an increase of 104 percent over the production of 2021. There are three types of farmed fish: “Argyrops”, which constitutes 61 percent of total farmed fish; “shrimp”, which comprises 31 percent of the total and “tilapia fish”, which contributes 8 percent of the total production (approximately 289 tons).
As many as 57,073 Omanis practice fishing, in addition to 3,694 technicians onboard fishing vessels.A total of 3,995 licenses have been issued for farmed fish transport.
World Fisheries Day (21 November) aims to raise community awareness of the importance of preserving fish resources. The main theme is to encourage the best means and methods to exploit these resources and improve the quality of fish products to enhance their economic returns.
