RIYADH: A two-month ban on catching Kingfish in the Arabian Gulf started Monday, following an announcement from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture.
“The application of the ban on fishing ‘Kanaad’ or Kingfish on the coasts of the Arabian Gulf in the Eastern Region for two months begins August 15,” said a MEWA statement issued in coordination with Gulf Cooperation Council states.
The six GCC states are committed to the two-month ban to protect breeding mothers with eggs during spawning and small Kingfish, and provide more opportunities for breeding and egg-laying.
The GCC Agricultural Cooperation Committee required Gulf states in 2019 to take measures to protect Kingfish, such as increasing the legal length of fish allowed to be caught, increasing the eye opening in nets, and defining the season for the fishing ban.
MEWA official and CEO of the National Fisheries Development Program, Dr. Ali Al-Shaikhi, told Arab News: “The ban is important to maintain the supplies of Kingfish, regulate the fishing process, avoid draining the Kingfish fisheries, and reduce the pressure of the fishing effort to balance supplies and fishing.”
Dr. Ali Al-Shaikhi, director general of the General Directorate of Fisheries at MEWA and CEO of the National Fisheries Development Program. (Supplied)
He said the ban promoted sustainable fishing in environmental, economic, and social terms, boosted the fishing industry, and ensured a good standard of living.
He added that the ban contributed to reducing the depletion of those fish species, maintaining sustainable strategic stocks, and allowing mothers to lay eggs during the ban period.
Al-Shaikhi believed the ministry had succeeded in reducing fishing efforts in fish stores in the Arabian Gulf in recent years, thereby ensuring the protection and sustainability of natural marine resources.
Bans had contributed to the growth and improvement of stocks and supplies, allowing Kingfish to multiply and grow in large quantities and sell at competitive prices in markets, he said.
The bans also educated fishermen about the importance of complying with laws protecting marine resources.
Jaafar al-Safwani, an adviser to the Safwa Fishermen's Cooperative Society. (Supplied)
Al-Shaikhi emphasized that the ban was part of the ministry’s desire to achieve its strategic objectives on the sustainability of natural systems, the strengthening of fisheries supplies and quantities, and the sustainability of production.
Bans regulated Kingfish catching through selective means, ensuring the increase of its vital quantities in the waters of the Arabian Gulf and ensuring market price stability.
“There is no doubt that the Eastern Region/Qatif Fisheries Research Center plays an important role in sensitizing and mentoring fishermen to raise awareness of the importance of the prohibition period for certain economic fish.”
Amer Al-Mutairi, director-general of MEWA’s eastern region branch, said the ban included the use of gillnets.
Jaafar al-Safwani, an adviser to the Safwa Fishermen's Cooperative Society, said the bans helped preserve the marine environment, particularly for shrimp, Kingfish, and other fish species.
Safwani, who was a member of the Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock at the Chamber of Commerce, Eastern Province, told Arab News: “The bans contribute to the indirect improvement of fishermen's income because the ban at certain times of the year allows breeding and improvements in the environment in which many fish live, thereby providing fishermen with more fish and larger volumes throughout the year. Besides, the price of fish increases.”
