Applications have been opened for the second Basic Mariculture Course of the year, conducted under the "Marine Hatchery Skills Development Programme" initiated with the assistance of the Transforming Fisheries Sector Management in South-West Indian Ocean Region and Maldives Project (TRANSFORM).
To pave the way for establishing a sustainable marine aquaculture (mariculture) industry in the Maldives and to build human capacity in the mariculture sector, the Ministry of Fisheries, Agriculture and Ocean Resources and the Maldives Marine Research Institute are jointly conducting this programme. The second basic mariculture course of this year is scheduled to be held from August 8 to August 20 in K. Maniyafushi.
The Fisheries Ministry has now opened the opportunity to participate in this course. It has been decided to give the opportunity to 15 individuals for this course as well. Interested parties are requested by the Fisheries Ministry to complete the application form and submit it to the Maldives Marine Research Institute along with a copy of their national identity card before 14:00 on Thursday, July 16, 2026. If more than 15 applications are received for the training programme, the ministry stated that participants will be selected in the order the forms are submitted.
During the course, accommodation for the participants will be arranged in K. Maniyafushi, and the Fisheries Ministry will also arrange the necessary travel between Male' and Maniyafushi for the course, as well as the participants' accommodation and meals.
The "Marine Hatchery Skills Development Programme" is an important part of the strategic efforts carried out by the government to develop the fisheries sector, diversify the economy, and provide more opportunities for those interested in this field. This programme is designed to accelerate the country's economic growth while paving the way for sustainable progress in the fisheries sector. Accordingly, the main components taught in the basic mariculture course conducted under this programme include aquaculture systems, live feed production, fish biology, grouper breeding, sea cucumber breeding, Maldivian clownfish breeding, pearl oyster breeding, and seagrass cultivation. In addition, it teaches how to identify and protect against diseases in cultured organisms, and how to protect the environment during aquaculture.
This programme is a training programme initiated as part of the activities included in the Week 14 roadmap of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's government. Under his guidance, the Basic Mariculture Training Course has been increased from 2 courses to 4 courses per year.
