TDT | Manama
Bahrain has imposed a twomonth ban on the fishing and selling of crabs here, effective yesterday. The ban, from March 15 until May 15, aims to stop fishing of crab during its breeding season in the territorial waters of the Kingdom.
Announcing the decision, Undersecretary for Agriculture and Marine Resources, Nabeel Mohammed Abu Al Fateh said the move aims at preserving Bahrain’s marine wealth and biodiversity.
The authorities had also set up Marine control teams, in cooperation with the concerned departments, to enforce the ban. The teams will monitor Bahraini waters to prevent any violations that disrupt the effectiveness of the ban.
“They will ensure the execution of the ban as well as the protection of the Kingdom’s marine wealth,” Al Fateh added. Earlier in November 2019, the Muharraq Municipal Council proposed a ban on exporting Bahraini crabs raising concerns about the dwindling crab population here and its impacts on the local community.
The proposal passed unanimously by the council also identified that the affected areas are mainly in the northern coast of the country and certain areas around Muharraq.
While proposing the ban, the MPs also accused private companies here of exploiting Bahrain’s marine resources, while turning away consumers here with exorbitant prices. The latest move also falls in line with the Kingdom’s efforts to improve food security in the country as part of a national strategy to increase the volume of local production.
The strategy includes allocating multiple sites for fish farming, supporting sustainable fish farming, intensifying financing for agriculture and livestock, enhance investment in agricultural projects in Bahrain and abroad as well as attracting foreign investment to keep up with demands of local food consumption.
The move also gathers particular importance especially in light of the IMF population projection which expects Bahrain’s population to rise at a compound annual growth rate of 2.0pc between 2018 and 2023.
Euromonitor reported that the population is projected to nearly double and hit 2.6 million by 2030. According to Tridge, Bahrain handles 1.2 per cent of the global crab exports with a yearly value of $43.62 million and a growth of +127.3pc reported in the last five years.
Based on global exports market share, the report says Bahrain is ranked 8th globally. Top exports destinations from Bahrain areThailand, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, United States, Australia, Saudi Arabia and New Zealand, according to figures published for 2018.
On an export value basis, Thailand shares 53.2pc of the total exports at $23.20 million. South Korea is second with an export value of $14.20 million (32.6pc). Reports also say that the global crab market is growing at a faster pace with substantial growth rates over the last few years and is estimated to grow significantly in the period from 2019 to 2026.
As per Renub research analysis, the Global Crab Market will reach 3.7 Million Metric Tonnes by the end of the year 2026. It states that the foodservice industry is multiplying worldwide because of new technology and innovations as well as increasing demand for the gluten-free diet, with the United States being the largest importer of crab.
