Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam has said that the former government made a political decision in July 2019 to discontinue issuing licenses for longline fishing in Maldivian waters.
Following the current government's decision to allow longline fishing for yellowfin tuna, the Fisheries Ministry has now drafted a regulation for the purpose. But it has not been published in the government gazette.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Adhadhu questioned why the decision was made even after the European Union (EU) Commission of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries expressed concern about illegal activities in long-lining operations and warned of a complete ban on Maldivian fish exports.
"There are claims that the licenses were discontinued because of certain warnings from the EU. I can confidently say it was a political decision at the time. Maldives was not warned to stop longline fishing under any circumstances," Shiyam said.
He added that there are certain standards in fishing and the industry is well-managed in the Maldives. The world sees Maldives as a role model in the fishing industry, he claimed.
"There were things that needed to be changed and improved in Maldives' longline fisheries at the time. It was not discontinued because of an order from the EU to stop longlining. It was a political decision," Shiyam stated.
Former Fisheries Minister Zaha Waheed spoke in Parliament on July 15, 2019, about the reason why the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) government stopped issuing licenses for longline fishing. She shared some of the concerns raised by the EU Fisheries Commission in April 2019.
The commission had told the government that foreigners were the real beneficiaries of the longline fishing and that such vessels were not being properly monitored and controlled, Zaha said.
"We were warned that there might be challenges in importing Maldivian fish to Europe if it is not properly managed and the image of Maldives' pole and line fishing changes in the European market," she said.
Previous governments have conducted training programs to familiarize fishermen with longline fishing, but only a few Maldivians have practised it.
The decision to allow long-lining for yellowfin tuna in Maldivian waters was first made in March 2010 during former President Mohamed Nasheed’s government. But the issuance of licenses began in 2012.
Regulations on longline fisheries for yellowfin tuna within 100 to 200 miles of the Maldives' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) were enacted in November 2014. Only Maldivian companies were licensed under the regulations.
However, the regulations allowed 90 percent of crew members of such vessels to be foreigners. As such, only one Maldivian worked on most boats. Consequently, several violations of laws and regulations occurred in Maldivian seas, officials who oversaw the fisheries sector said during various meetings.
