Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) will impose a ban on fishing particularly shrimp-fishing in the Kuwaiti territorial waters from Jan 1, 2015. Assistant Director of PAAAFR’s Fish Resources Department Eng. Faisal Al-Hassawi said the authority took the decision based on the studies conducted by Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research (KISR) due to scarcity of shrimps and fishes in the Kuwaiti territorial waters this season. On the sidelines of a meeting held with the members of Kuwait Fishermen Union, he said, During the fishing season, fishermen overfish which causes shortage of fish particularly shrimps in the Kuwaiti territorial waters. Studies and reports conducted in this regard necessitated the need to call for a ban on fishing from the beginning of January 2015.
Al-Hassawi clarified that PAAAFR will not allow the import of any type of shrimps into the country through seaports without necessary documents such as health clearance certificate and letter of origin, affirming that the import of shrimps will be allowed only through airport. He indicated about ongoing coordination between the relevant authorities in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia concerning the establishment of an agency to monitor the movement of Saudi boats and to impose serious measures for stopping Iranian boats from entering and fishing in Kuwaiti territorial waters. He stressed that PAAAFR will not renew the license of any boat that does not comply with the mandatory rules and regulations including the conditions related to the boat’s length and size. Eng Al-Hassawi revealed that 40 percent of the population need in Kuwait is for fish and shrimps, adding that the supply of shrimps is limited in Kuwait due to which there is a huge demand for shrimp-fishing in the country.
Meanwhile, Chairperson of Kuwait Fishermen Union Thaher Al-Suwaiyan said the union is always striving to ensure the rights of the fishermen are met. He revealed that the union has been demanding PAAAFR to allow its fishermen to fish in the international waters, which is allowed for fishermen in the neighboring countries, adding that some individuals in the country unfortunately strive to delay the shrimp-fishing season for personal interests. Al-Suwaiyan said, However, after coming to an understanding with the authority’s officials, permission to fish in the international waters was granted on Aug 1 while the fishing of shrimps was allowed from Sept 1 to Jan 15. He indicated that the Chairperson of PAAAFR Nabila Al-Khaleel has reassured the union that fishermen will continue to enjoy subsidy on diesel, which will cost them 55 fils per liter instead of the reported cost of 170 fils per liter. He added that the union met with the Minister of Finance Anas Al-Saleh and presented its request to increase its financial support to KD 1 million.
2015 Arab Times Kuwait English Daily