Muscat: The ban on fishing and trading of kanaad or kingfish in the Sultanate of Oman came into effect on Monday, marking the beginning of its reproduction season, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources tweeted. The two-month ban ends on October 15.
The penalty for fishing, during the ban period, is a fine of up to RO 300, or imprisonment from 10 days to a month, or both. The fish will be confiscated or its value will be forfeited.
Through the annual ban, the ministry aims to preserve the stocks of kingfish, and to regulate the fishing process, to strike balance between fish stocks and the quantities of the catch.
It seeks to develop and manage fish resources and implement projects that would contribute to the sustainability of fish stocks and to set regulations for optimal utilisation of untapped marine resources.
It may be noted that the ban is also implemented by other Gulf Cooperation Council states following the recommendation of
the GCC Agricultural Cooperation Committee in 2019 to take measures to protect the fish species.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, the country is home to diverse marine creatures. The total fish production registered an average growth rate of 22.7 per cent from 2015 to 2021.
The total artisanal catch of kingfish in 2020 amounted to 5,906 tonnes worth RO 7.12 million.
The annual two-month ban aims to protect kingfish stock from overfishing. The ministry officials will comb the coasts of the Sultanate of Oman to implement the ban. Kingfish is one of the large pelagic fish belonging to the Scambrid family, a semi-tuna that migrates and reproduces along the Omani waters and is in great demand in the local and international markets.
The Marine and Fisheries Science Center at the General Directorate of Fisheries Research has carried out scientific studies on kingfish covering reproduction, growth, migration, age, dimensions and mortality rate.
The study also touched on fishing equipment for fishing kingfish.
The ministry started issuing kingfish catch regulations in 2014. Apart from the ban during the breeding seasons, it is also prohibited to catch kingfish with nets less than 65 centimetres long. Fishermen must immediately return such fish to the sea if it is caught.
It also has fishing net specifications. The length of the nets shall not exceed 2,400 metres and the depth of the nets shall not exceed 10 metres from the sea surface. The nets must not touch the seafloor. In addition, the mesh eye opening shall not be less than 3.75 inches (95 mm), and the thickness of the thread shall not be less than one millimetre.
