Ban or no ban, fresh shrimp available in local market
Manama : Less than two weeks after the annual shrimping ban came into effect, large quantities of fresh shrimp were seen sold in local markets by street vendors.
The latest discovery was in Sitra, where a bunch of Bahraini fishermen detected at least nine iceboxes full of fresh shrimp, around 360 kilogrammes, displayed for sale by street vendors.
Commenting on the matter was Bahrain Fishermen Society (BFS) President Waheed Al Dossary, who came down heavily against the continuation of such breaches of the shrimping ban which aims to protect marine resources and food security.
“That’s what we have been trying to convey to the individuals in the country for years. As fishermen, we support the ban, provided tighter supervision is applied. The country’s shrimp stock shrank by 80 per cent because of unnoticed violations during the previous ban season,” Al Dossary said.
He said that BFS and other representatives of fishermen in Bahrain will conduct meetings with officials in Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry, which is in charge of marine resources, in addition to the Coast Guard and Customs directorates in Interior Ministry, in order to enhance coordination and eliminate this phenomenon and curb the continuous drainage of marine resources.
Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Essam Khalaf issued Resolution 27 of 2017 on March 7, banning shrimping and the sale of fresh shrimps for six months.
The ban came into effect on March 15, banning shrimping and the sale of fresh shrimps.
The minister affirmed that violators will be subjected to the penalties mentioned in Law 20 of 2002 including the confiscation of ships and equipment used in shrimping during the ban.
He clarified that violators will not be granted the right to claim their equipment or demand compensation and will get their licenses temporarily or permanently suspended.
It’s noteworthy that the minister met Al Dossary and other representatives of local professional fishermen on Sunday to discuss their requirements and demands.
Matters including reducing the period of the ban to four months, introducing more deterrent punishments against violators of the ban and providing financial support to local fishermen were discussed in the meeting.
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