KUWAIT: The Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) has granted an exceptional permit to fish for mullet (maid) inside Kuwait Bay, in a move aimed at increasing local supply and reducing prices. The authority said in a statement to KUNA Friday that the decision, issued by PAAAFR Director General Salem Al-Hai, comes under the directives of Minister of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy and Acting Minister of Finance for Economic and Investment Affairs Dr Sabeeh Al-Mukhaizeem.
Fishing in Kuwait Bay has been banned for more than 20 years. Now fishermen will be able to catch mullet in the bay from October until the end of November, when the seasonal ban comes into effect. According to PAAAFR, the fishing will be conducted in coordination with the Environment Public Authority and the Coast Guard, within specific zones and on a trial basis. The decision, it added, is expected to help revive Kuwait’s fish market. Fishing operations will be supervised by PAAAFR’s Marine Control Department “to ensure adherence to environmental standards and the protection of marine ecosystems,” the statement said.
The move follows repeated calls from the Kuwait Fishermen’s Union to lift the long-standing ban on fishing inside Kuwait Bay. In August, Union Chairman Abdullah Al-Sarheed argued that prices for mullet could fall further if the government allowed fishing in the bay and in territorial waters, which is in place all year round. Fishermen are only allowed to catch mullet 12 miles from the coast in Kuwait’s economic waters from July to September. “The designated areas aren’t yielding any catch right now. There is plenty of mullet available inside the bay, as we have shared in videos before,” Al-Sarheed said.
In May, Al-Sarheed reiterated that “mullet lives in shallow waters, and the fishing areas currently permitted by the PAAAFR do not provide the quantities required by consumers,” leading to its near disappearance from market stalls.
The Environment Public Authority had previously defended the restriction, citing Article 100 of Environmental Protection Law No 42 of 2014, which bans fishing or disturbing marine life outside designated seasons and zones. In a statement in May, it said Kuwait Bay serves as a “crucial nursery for many marine larvae,” making it vital to stock preservation. — Agencies
