During the meeting, the participants reviewed relevant legislations and ministerial resolutions that were recently issued and discussed the best approach to see them through to fruition. They specifically discussed the latest amendments to the Federal Law No. (23) of 1999 concerning the Exploitation, Protection, and Developments of Living Aquatic Resources in the UAE. The law identifies the permitted fishing gear and details the prohibited fishing areas in the country. In addition, participants devised a mechanism to simplify the technical examination procedures for fishing boats.

They also examined the key provisions under the Ministerial Resolution No. (598) of 2017 on Amending Ministerial Resolution No. (695) of 2016 on Regulating Surface Fishing by Encircling Nets. The legislation regulates surface fishing using surrounding nets by standardizing the specifications of the seines that should be used during the hunt. The legislation further specified that the open season for surface fishing would extend from October 15 of the current year to May 15 of the following year in all emirates except for Abu Dhabi, where the open season for surface fishing would continue only till April 1. This helps avoid depletion of fish species as they are an important and dependable source of nourishment.

His Excellency Sultan Alwan Al Habsi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Regions Sector at MOCCAE, reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to working closely with relevant local authorities to sustain fish stocks to ensure food security for the present and future generations.