Fisheries & aquaculture research centre to be set up

QATAR - Qatar is to set up a fisheries research centre with technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The QR40mn research centre is likely to be established in two years, Mohamed bin Rashid al-Sulaiti, assistant director of fisheries department at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture, and Dr Mohamed Saif Abdullah, regional fisheries officer and secretary of the Regional Fisheries Commission of the FAO (RECOFI), told Gulf Times.

Qatar will also try to build capacity and conduct a general survey of fisheries stock, the officials revealed. This will cost QR7mn.

Dr Mohamed Saif pointed out that over-fishing, pollution and declining catch were some of the problems the fishing industry faced worldwide. The issues were no different in the region and in Qatar. The region was steadily losing some economically important species like hamoor whose catch had now become one-third of what it was some time ago. Similarly, shrimps and a few other species were also declining.

Source: Gulf Times