Fisheries
this year’s first quarter, Yemen’s total volume of marine life production and export of various species and fish was more than three million tons worth more than $6 million.
Ghazi Ahmed Saleh, General Manager of Aden governorate’s Fish Wealth Office, explained that last year’s production was more than 19 million tons of fish products and marine life exported to a number of Arab and foreign countries.
In related developments, Yemeni coast guard forces foiled four sea piracy attempts in Aden Gulf and Arabian Sea territorial waters in the period between March 1 and mid-April.
Additionally, fishermen from the Hodeidah governorate town of Al-Khawkha have complained that Egyptian industrial boats are sweeping their fishing nets with their fish catch, thereby causing them losses estimated at millions, let alone marine life destruction due to industrial sweeping by means of sweeping and sucking up fish wealth.
The fishermen expressed their astonishment regarding Ministry of Fish Wealth officials’ silence about what is happening to Yemen’s fish wealth in Red Sea regional waters. They affirmed that the Egyptian boats sail near Red Sea shores at Khawkha port, Umzahar, Sahari, Al-Nasser and Salif.
They appealed to the ministry to respect its commitment to Parliament two years ago to not renew any contract with foreign, regional or even local firms using artificial fishery methods in Red Sea regional waters so that Yemen’s shores will not empty of fish due to that fishing style. The fishermen added that the fish catch is dwindling in comparison to previous years because of such Egyptian boats’ fishing methods in the Red Sea.
Abdulhadi Khidr, director-general of Hodeidah’s Fish Wealth Office, said no agreement has been signed for two years with Arab or foreign firms practicing industrial fishing, adding that some Egyptian boats present in the Red Sea are affiliated with a Yemeni investor and registered in his name, according to which he obtained a fishing license.
He confirmed that his office fairly compensated fishermen whose nets and catch were damaged and that ministry monitors are watching the Yemeni investor’s Egyptian boats.
CSO:
Quantity (tons), Value (millions of riyals)
Table No.: 8 جدول رقم : 8
Year 2003 2002 2001 السنة
Item قيمه كميه قيمه كميه قيمه كميه البيان
Value Quantity Value Quantity Value Quantity
Surface Water Fish 27777.8 202758 27342.9 151905 18618.9 122493 اسماك سطح
Deep Water Fish 1146 10911 1744.7 19591 1090 7792 اسماك اعماق
Other Aquatic Catch 9582.8 14447 4044.0 8088 4210.4 11913 احياء بحريه أخرى
Total 38506.6 228116 33131.6 179584 23919.3 142198 الاجمالي
so is the average production annually 19 million tons or 38 thousand tons?
The fishery exports rose from 12.9 thousand tons in 2000 to 47.6 thousand tons in 2004 and their values grew from $40 million to $312 million during the same period of time.
ok 38KT, 2003, 47kT, 2004 and 19mt 2005
