Bahrain plans integrated national marine strategy

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Urban Planning, Dr. Jumaa Bin Ahmed Al Kaabi held a meeting with a number of officials of the General Administration for Marine Wealth in the presence of the Acting Undersecretary for Agriculture Affairs and Marine Wealth at the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Isa Al Khalifa, and Director General of the Northern Area, Engineer Yousif Bin Ibrahim Al Ghatam.

Al Kaabi announced the preparation of an integrated strategy for the development of the fisheries sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain, saying that it would be accomplished during the next few days.

The minister stressed the keenness of the ministry, through its strategy, to serve professional fishermen in the first place, and then increase the fish stocks, in addition to achieve the optimal investment of marine wealth. He also said that the ministry reinforced the fishing profession as being one of the tributaries and foundations to achieve the relative food security of those marine products.

Dr. Al Kaabi pointed out that the strategy would directly organize the issue of licenses granted to fishermen, besides addressing many other issues including overfishing, illegal methods during fishing, and legalization of procedures in exporting fish to companies.

The minister said that the strategy of the development of fisheries sector comes in line with the government’s programme under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, and also keeping pace with Bahrain Economic Vision 2030.

Meanwhile, Dr. Al Kaabi stressed that the ministry was keen to keep the strategy included with the best advanced and innovative practices to increase fish through the process of farming in cooperation with the private sector and locating fishing areas, for the benefit of both the fishermen and the consumer, in addition to the development and establishment of ports in various parts of the Kingdom.

In the same regard, the officials at the General Administration of Marine Wealth presented a number of statistics as well as the challenges faced by the fishing sector, fishermen, and ways to overcome them.

At the end of the meeting, Dr. Jumaa asserted that the professional fisherman is the corner stone of the General Directorate of Marine Wealth, and highlighted the importance of providing them with all the necessary requirements to develop the fishing sector, through the services and facilities that must be met in partnership with the private sector.