Fishing

Fishing is the lifeblood of our nation it is inborn. From the soil on which we live, to the sea around us, it remains an integral part of our exercise. Fishing, and our country and its people, ate one and shall remain inseparable forever. Fisheries sector is the second largest industry in the Maldives.

Fishing in Maldivesis still practiced using traditional techniques. Pole and lines are used forcatching fish. This is believed to be a more sustainable and dolphin friendlymethod. Fisheries sector provides most of the employment for dispersed islandcommunities. Most of the fishing boats are owned by local boat owners. Fishingis still largely practiced as a family business.

In fisheries sector fish processing and exporting to other countries is a vital part where large investment is required. Since the sector was open for private investments few companies have started investing in this sector. Ten year licences are been issued to the companies which had invested in these sector. At present the investment is mostly owned by local companies. 

The most common methods are: Pole and line, Handline, Longline and Trolling.

* Pole and line:                                     

Pole and line is the most importantand effective method of fishing practiced in the Maldives. Pole and line cantake place:

-While standing in the lagoon.                    

-From a small boat (bokkuraa)

-From a fishing boat (mas dhoani)

Fish usually caught through poleand line from a small fishing boat (bokkuraa) or when standing in a lagooninclude big eye scads (mushimas) and round scads (rimmas). Scads are the maintype of fish caught by pole and line after tuna in the Maldives.

Pole and lining from a fishing boat(mas dhoani) is the most important type of fishing in the Maldives. Fishtargeted from a fishing

 boat (mas dhoani) include: skipjacke tuna(kalhubilamas), Yellow fin tuna (reedhoo uraha kanneli), Frigate

 tuna (raagon�di),Kawakawa (latti), Rainbow runners (maaniyamas).

 * Handline:

 In thismethod handlines and hand reels are used. Some examples of fish caught by thismethod are red snapper (raimas) and groupers (faana).

 * Longline:

 Longlines areoperated at the surface or bottom by fixing floats and weights. Longlines haveabout 100 to 500 hooks attached to them with spaces between them. This methodis used to catch yellow fin tuna (reedhoo-uraha kanneli), big eye tuna (lobodu kanneli)and shark (miyaru).

* Trolling:

In this methodhook-rigged lures are used. Trolling lines are attached to a moving boat anddragged through the water. This method is used mainly to catch fishes such askawakawa (latti) and frigate tuna (raagon�di).

Overfishing has occurred for

�        Black corals - These were presumably once abundant on Maldivian reefs.Over the last two decades large quantities were removed, and they are nowprotected.

�        Giant clams - The giantclam fishery was very short-lived, lasting about a year from 1990. Thisexploitation of the giant clam was very destructive to the reefs and thegovernment banned the fishery in 1991.

�        Turtles - Turtleshave been exploited for local trade and consumption for hundreds of years. They were further exploited to provide curios for thetourists. A moratorium on catching turtles has been in force since 1995.

�        Sea cucumbers - The most popular species of sea cucumbers have beenoverexploited, resulting in near collapse of the fishery in 1997.

Environmentalissues include marine pollution.Examples are increasing risks of spills from oil tankers, and industrialdischarges from countries to the north, such as organochlorine residues such as DDT, and heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium, lead, and arsenic. Certain destructivemethods used when fish aggregating can cause irreversible damage to the coral reefs, as canboats dropping anchors. Toxic household chemicals have been used when foragefishing. There has been a loss ofcoastal habitats associated with dredging harbours, reclamation, and the miningof coral and sand for construction. This has affected seagrass beds, mangroves and coralreefs. The significance of mangroves areas to the coastal and marine fisheryhas not been adequately studied. Outside aid programmes have initiated reefmonitoring projects in the Maldives. However, monitoring has been discontinuedwhen projects have finished, and little of this information has been used toinform decision-making. The Maldives needs to maintain continuity inmonitoring, and coordinate its approach to managing its reefs.