Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture has decided to grant permission for local fishing vessels to depart on fishing trips, despite the ban on travelling between islands.
The fisheries ministry stated despite the ban imposed on travelling between islands, local fishing vessels will be granted permission to leave on fishing trips. However, the ministry said fishermen cannot exit the vessel to sell their catch to a processing facility, adding fishermen can only exit the vessel after docking at their home island. The ministry stated further instructions regarding the arrangement made for fishing vessels will be given by the Health Protection Agency (HPA).
The state-owned fisheries company, Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company Limited (MIFCO), recently revealed a large number of tuna are being caught during the fishing season, as indicated by the numbers at the processing facilities. Noting the demand for tuna will increase in the upcoming month of Ramadan, MIFCO said it will be able to release sufficient tuna products to the market.