More than 500 fishermen have been registered in the National Fishermen's Registry.
The Fisheries Ministry stated that under the ongoing efforts to register fishermen, 542 fishermen from various regions of the Maldives have been registered so far. Additionally, 172 vessel owners have also been registered to date, the Ministry said.
The Ministry noted that currently, oceanic fishermen and vessels are being registered in the registry. However, arrangements are also in place for reef fishermen to register if they wish to do so at this time.
Fishermen can also self-register in the fishermen's registry using the Ministry's Keyolhu app. Nevertheless, to further strengthen and expedite this process, the Maldives has been divided into zones, and the Ministry's teams, in collaboration with focal points from the councils, are actively working on registering fishermen.
The Ministry stated today that the efforts to register fishermen have now been further expanded, and accordingly, the Ministry's teams will depart to 10 regions tomorrow. The registration of fishermen is currently being carried out with the cooperation of the Cities Ministry as well. Councils, fishermen, and vessel owners are also providing their support in this endeavor.
Included in the government's Week-14 roadmap, the Fisheries Ministry opened the compilation of the fishermen's registry and registration on February 16 of this year.
The Fisheries Act came into existence on September 5, 2019. According to the Act, within 100 days of its implementation, a registry containing information on fishermen, crew members, vessel owners, and fishing vessels must be compiled, and the Ministry must maintain this registry in accordance with the procedures specified in the regulations made under the Act.
