Total value of shrimp production in Oman exceeds RO 7 million in 2022

Muscat: The total shrimp production for the year 2022 reached about 2,799 tons from artisanal fishing and aquaculture fishing, with a total value of more than RO 7 million. In 2021, shrimp production through artisanal fishing reached 1,130 tons, with a total value of RO 3.5 million, according to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources.

The Ministry of Agricultural Wealth, Fisheries and Water Resources announced at the beginning of this month (September) the start of the shrimp fishing season, and it will continue until the end of November for a period of 3 months, as shrimp are one of the marine resources that abound in Omani waters, and are of economic, social and cultural importance to fishermen and are accompanied by an active commercial movement.

Ibrahim bin Abdullah Al-Qartoubi, Assistant Director General of Fisheries in Al Wusta Governorate, said that Al Wusta Governorate has the highest production of shrimp, according to 2022 statistics, with a production rate of 90 percent of the total catch.

He added that the Directorate is carrying out guidance and monitoring efforts for shrimp stocks in the states of Mahut, Duqm, and Al-Jazar, through implementing targeted guidance programs and monitoring campaigns during the shrimp fishing season, and after the end of the season as well, to preserve natural wealth and sustain it as an important economic stock for the people of the governorate.

Al-Qurtubi stated that the Ministry of Agricultural Wealth, Fisheries and Water Resources allowed the catching of shrimp with seine nets, which is one of the methods of catching shrimp used in the past, due to the high efficiency this equipment provides in the catch and the sustainability of the marine stock of shrimp and its preservation from overfishing.

It is worth noting that the profession of shrimp fishing is one of the traditional craft professions of Omani fishermen, as there are three types of shrimp in the Sultanate of Oman: Indian white shrimp, tiger shrimp, and spotted white shrimp, and the majority of them are spread in three governorates: Al Wusta, Al Sharqiya, and Dhofar.