Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam has stated that he has never opposed longline fishing in the Maldives.
Speaking at a press conference organized by the Fisheries Ministry and held today at the Seneco Hall of Voice of Maldives, the Minister responded to a question from Keyolha asking why he had opposed longline fishing while in the opposition, but changed his stance to support it after becoming a Minister.
"Even when I was in the opposition, I was not against longline fishing. I would have spoken about the issues occurring in longline fishing at that time. Even then, I believed that longline fishing is a fishery that increases revenue for the Maldives," the Minister said.
Responding to a question on whether the Fisheries Ministry accepts the complaints submitted by fishermen and NGOs regarding the regulation drafted to reopen longline fishing in the Maldives, the Minister said that the opportunity to submit opinions on the draft regulation was opened to the public because they wanted to proceed properly and include the consultation of yellowfin tuna fishermen and NGOs. He also noted that before opening the regulation for comments, he met and consulted with stakeholders, big yellowfin tuna fishermen, and the BKMU, which represents big yellowfin tuna fishermen.
"My point is that we are a country with 99% ocean. When we talk about generating income and profit from it, there is a political component to it as well. I am not saying this is only about the environment or diving associations. They also have genuine concerns. At the same time, there is political opposition from politicians as well. Because it is something that increases revenue, there will be things done. However, I am not saying in any way that everyone's concerns are politically motivated concerns. They have genuine concerns. We are addressing their genuine concerns as best as we can," the Minister said.
Referring to the concerns expressed by foreign organizations regarding longline fishing in the Maldives, the Minister said that foreign parties are also generating income from such fisheries, and there is no reason why the Maldives should not do it.
"Do we have to listen to everything foreign parties say? While we are not generating income, foreigners are generating income. Perhaps because our population is small, our voice or the people to 'raise voice' might not be 'significant'. The numbers might not be large. We are a very small country," the Minister said.
The Minister stated that longline fishing will be opened in the Maldives with the best management mechanism in the world.
The government decided to reopen longline fishing on June 24 this year. Following this, the Fisheries Ministry drafted the "Longline Fishing Regulation" and opened it for public comment from August 5 to August 18. During this period, fishermen and NGOs advocating for fisheries and the environment jointly submitted complaints. The Ministry is currently completing the procedures required to open longline fishing.
Following the government's decision to open longline fishing, fishermen and marine life and environmental protection advocates jointly launched a campaign called "Against Longline Fishing". So far, 25,183 people have participated in the petition opened against longline fishing. They are now preparing to hold a protest called the "Fishermen's Grand Protest", bringing together fishermen, workers in the sector, and associations from all regions of the Maldives.
