As the government prepares to open up longline fishing in the Maldives, it has been decided that permission to engage in longline fishing will be granted with a special license and quota. According to the draft longline fishing regulation compiled by the Fisheries Ministry, a longline fishing quota will be issued starting from February 1 of each Gregorian year until January 31 of the following year.
This quota, issued by the Fisheries Ministry, can only be purchased for vessels registered to Maldivian individuals, as well as partnerships and companies formed under the Partnership Act and Companies Act that do not include any foreign involvement. Furthermore, the quota will only be sold to vessels where 80% of the fishing crew are Maldivians. The regulation stipulates that foreigners must not exceed 20% of the total crew on these vessels.
The Fisheries Ministry stated that this regulation is designed to make longline fishing a highly specialized fishery for Maldivians, incorporating principles to encourage local interest in the sector. Accordingly, the regulation includes provisions to prioritize Maldivian parties when issuing quotas and outlines methods to reduce or waive quota fees.
Regarding this regulation, State Minister for Fisheries Mohamed Muttalib stated that when granting permission for longline fishing, vessels with a 100% Maldivian crew will not be charged any quota fee; they will only be required to pay a license fee. Muttalib added that discounts on the license fee will also be provided based on the proportion of Maldivian crew members.
"If it is a vessel arriving with a Maldivian crew, we will only charge a license fee. We have also planned to waive 50% of the license fee. Therefore, a vessel arriving with a 100% Maldivian crew will not have to pay any fee for the quota. If it arrives with 80% Maldivians, we will waive 50% of the quota fee. Thus, this has been designed very much as a fishery specialized for Maldivians," Muttalib said.
Under the longline fishing regulation, the Fisheries Ministry must determine the quota for targeted bigeye tuna caught using longlines for the upcoming 3 (three) years, and publicly announce this amount before October 1 of each year. The regulation also states that although the quota is announced for a three-year period, the quota amount can be adjusted if the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission alters the maximum catch limit for the species in the Indian Ocean during that timeframe.
The Fisheries Ministry is currently reviewing the feedback received during the public comment period for the draft longline fishing regulation to determine if the comments are suitable for inclusion. The Ministry stated that appropriate comments will be incorporated, and the regulation will be amended accordingly.
The government decided to open up longline fishing on June 24. The Fisheries Ministry is currently making the necessary preparations for this. The Ministry stated that once the procedures are completed, longline fishing is expected to be opened at the earliest in February of next year.
