DOHA: The Ministry of Environment, under which the fisheries department falls, is building a huge fish breeding farm and has plans to rebuild and expand the existing central fish market in the city.
The fish market was established in the 1970s with a capacity of 10 tonnes, but with the population of the country and the demand for fish having multiplied, the market presently handles some 35 tonnes.
The market is to be, therefore, rebuilt at a huge cost and in three phases, said a senior official of the environment ministry.
Talking of the fish farming facility being set up, Mohamed Saeed Al Mohannadi, director of the fisheries department, said that bids have already been invited.
“Work on the project will start in August this year and would likely be completed in February of 2015.”
There are also plans to set up an ice factory in the fish market with a daily production capacity of eight tonnes.
Another project that is being launched by the ministry is to set up model research centres for fisheries, animal husbandry and agriculture.
The fisheries research centre will include research on sweet water fish water fish farming.
Since the five year plan of the ministry (2006-11), fishing boats are not being allowed to venture into the sea more than three times a month during the breeding period in April and May every year.
Al Mohannadi said that there are restrictions on catching king fish from August 15 to October 15 every year for similar reasons and that the Cabinet has approved a proposal to give fishing boat owners monetary compensation and they are provided QR5,000 by the fisheries department during the said season. The total number of boats engaged in catching king fish and eligible for compensation is 192.
Some 428 fishing boats have been linked through electronic devices so they can identify one another while at sea. In the latter phase other fishing boats would also be linked.
Traditional fishing boats made of wood are being provided financial assistance of QR15,000 every year for maintenance because their upkeep is quite expensive. These boats need to be preserved because they are part of Qatar’s heritage. The official lamented that Qatari youth were not entering the fishing trade due to low profits and so the entire business was dominated by Asian
expatriates. The Peninsula
