Doha: As an initiative to build-up the depleting stock of hamour, one of the most popular marine delicacies here, authorities have released thousands of fingerlings into Qatar's territorial waters. However, Qatar has enough supply of fish to meet the needs of the people here, according to an official at the fisheries department of Ministry of Environment.
"Some 50,000 hamour fish fingerlings were released in Al Wakra and some fishing- restricted areas of Qatari waters recently with a view to enriching fish storage in the country," said Mohamed Mahmoud Flamarzi, Director of the Fisheries Development Department of the Ministry of Environmet.
"This was done as the second phase of a five-year project being carried out in co-operation with Bahrain's Public Commission for the Protection of Marine Resources, Environment and Wildlife. As the first phase, we had released the same number of hamour fingerlings off the coast of Al Khor in July 2009."
The hamour fingerlings released this year weigh between 2.5 grams and 8 grams. The total cost of the 2010 phase was estimated at QR200,000, while the last year it was QR170,000, he said
The fingerlings were imported from Bahrain on July 13 and 14 and were transported to Al Wakra and some protected area in the southern waters of Qatar by the department. In one-year's time, these fingerlings are expected to weigh some 700g to 1kg.
As another step to increase the fish stock in Qatari water, the department is also planning to establish a research centre focusing on marine culturing and farming. For this, recently a law was passed to establish a fisheries committee to introduce standards for establishing fish-farms.
"Qatar has sufficient quantities of fish-stock and so far we have not found any contamination in the fish in Qatari waters. However, with the sudden increase in the population and sea-food being a staple diet for many here, there must have been some shortage. Also export has no impact of availability of fish as only two species are exported. The main challenge for Qatar is over-fishing, which we have been able to control," he said.
The department has sought to regulate fishing through laws and legislations.
"We had stopped the process of licensing for fishing some 10 years ago and are monitoring the fishing methods and tools adopted by the fishermen. Each fishing boat is allowed only three trips each month and fishing should be in the traditional way."
In this way, the department tries to keep a balance between the marine-life preservation and sea-food supply. Studies have also advocated the use of wide-spaced fishnets so that small and non-targeted marine-species are not fished. To enhance the stock and breed of marine life in the Gulf waters, the department is also checking the feasibility of having a common forum with all the GCC countries, Yemen, Pakistan and the Red Sea region.
By Huda N V
© The Peninsula 2010
