Municipality issues clarification on matter of fish being discarded on beaches

Muscat: Muscat Municipality has received a number of complaints from citizens about fish being discarded on beaches in the wilayat of Seeb and has issued a clarification on the matter.

The municipality said in a statement: "It has recently become clear that a number of fishermen are catching small fish and throwing them onto the beach, and the Directorate General of Muscat Municipality in Seeb has responded to residents' complaints in different areas about unpleasant odors at certain beaches."

The municipality has condemned such actions due to the environmental harm caused by insects and stray dogs that are attracted to the discarded fish.

"These actions do not reflect responsible behaviour towards the health of community members or to environmental awareness of the importance of beach cleanliness as a tourist and relaxation spot for the public," the municipality added.

The Department of Health Affairs in the Directorate General of Municipality in Seeb said: "The Department of Hygiene has played its role in this regard. However, the repetition of such actions is a disturbing daily occurence that requires serious action due to the negative environmental consequences as well as the negative effect on the public."

The Health Affairs department went on to say that it has "decided to double its efforts to provide hygiene teams and equipment to transport and dispose of such fish, in order to keep the beaches clean and free from health contaminants as well as disturbances to the public."

"The source of these fish is the fishermen who throwing invalid fish after catching large quantities of them at different times during the day and we face difficulty in dealing with this phenomenon is sometimes through the presence of fish stuck in the nets fishermen, which cause the spread of flies around," the department went on to explain.

Muscat Municipality emphasises the importance of the concerted efforts between official authorities and the community in raising environmental awareness among citizens and owners of fishing boats and their employees, which helps reduce the burden place upon hygiene teams and workers in the relevant sectors.