Shrimp fishing season begins in Oman

The annual season of shrimp fishing, a regulated activity in the sultanate, officially got underway on Thursday, promising lucrative returns for fishermen engaged in the harvest of this much sought-after crustacean. Shrimp fishing is big business for fishermen operating off the sultanate's southeastern seaboard where shrimp, and even highly valuable lobster, abound in massive quantities. These marine-rich waters are off-limits to shrimp fishing for five months (April to August) every year in line with an official ban designed to allow juveniles to mature adequately. At dawn on Thursday morning, the first wave of fishermen in fiberglass boats ventured out from coastal villages extending from the Sharqiya to the Wusta regions of Oman, to harvest a veritable trove in shrimp. At the peak of the season, these shrimp-rich waters attract an estimated 1,000 fishing boats. In line with official guidelines, shrimp fishing is limited to Omani fishermen operating small fiberglass boats and using only fishing nets to harvest their catch. The season runs till the end of March, when the annual five-month-long fishing ban comes into force. According to statistics compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, landings of crustaceans (comprising shrimp and lobster) totalled around 800 metric tonnes in 2009. Volumes have been rising year on year, thanks in part to the off-seasonal restrictions on shrimp harvesting. A study launched last year by the ministry's research arm aims to explore the potential for culturing new areas with commercial valuable crustacean species along the sultanate's southeastern coast.