Friday 03 / May / 2024
Muscat: Omani abalone has been found on Masirah Island after 40 years.
A statement issued online by Oman News Agency (ONA) said: "The team of the Fisheries Research Center in Dhofar Governorate affiliated to the General Directorate of Fisheries Research at the Ministry of Agricultural, Fisheries and Water Resources was able to document the presence of Omani abalone on Masirah Island since its disappearance in 1977."
The results, which were implemented in February of this year, indicated the presence of abalone at a variable rate in several locations. This field survey comes within the framework of concern for the biological diversity of marine organisms and following up on the state of fish stocks in the Sultanate.
This scientific documentation is the first of its kind for the rate of presence of abalone in Masirah Island. The geographical spread of this organism increases in the Arabian Sea, extending from the Dhofar Governorate through the Al Wusta Governorate to Masirah Island. It also documents the unique ecological diversity that the island enjoys.
The Omani abalone, which bears the scientific name Haliotis Maria, is a single-shell marine mollusc of high economic value. The presence of abalone in the world is limited to the seas of Oman, specifically in the Arabian Sea in the area between the Dhofar Governorate and parts of the Al Wusta Governorate.
Due to abalone's economic and social importance, the Ministry of Agricultural Wealth, Fisheries and Water Resources has put in place laws and legislations regulating its exploitation and ensuring its sustainability by monitoring the state of natural stocks, organizing fishing seasons and carrying out research studies, in addition to working on developing a comprehensive strategy to organize the management of abalone fisheries within the objectives of Oman 2040 Vision as one of the most important marine products in the Sultanate.
