The second Basic Mariculture Course, conducted under the Marine Hatchery Skills Development Programme by the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources, has successfully concluded.
The closing ceremony, held today at the Maniyafushi Research and Training Facility, was officiated by the Regional Hub Manager of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Mohamed Sulaiman. Sulaiman also presented certificates to the participants who completed the course.
The Ministry of Fisheries stated that 10 participants from various atolls across the Maldives were trained in this course, which ran from October 18 until today. With this, the total number of individuals who have completed the Basic Mariculture Course under this programme has reached 53.
The course is conducted with the objective of producing Maldivian technicians needed to introduce and develop a mariculture industry in the Maldives. It provided information on aquaculture systems, live feed production, and the breeding of grouper, sea cucumber, Maldivian clownfish, and pearl oysters. Participants also learned about identifying and preventing diseases in cultured species, and conducting mariculture activities with minimal environmental impact. Furthermore, practical experience in breeding grouper, sea cucumber, and clownfish was provided to the participants.
The Marine Hatchery Skills Development Programme is an initiative included in President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's "Hafthaa 14" roadmap. It is conducted jointly by the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources and the Maldives Marine Research Institute. The programme aims to develop mariculture, provide additional income and employment opportunities close to home for people living across the Maldives, and further expand and diversify economic activities in the country.
The Ministry of Fisheries is undertaking numerous efforts to establish and develop a mariculture industry in the Maldives. These include a programme to sell sea cages and live juvenile groupers to interested parties. The arrangement to provide sea cages and live juvenile groupers to private individuals is intended to facilitate mariculture businesses by growing groupers.
In addition, as part of the efforts to designate mariculture as a distinct industry, four zones have been allocated for mariculture development. Furthermore, a lagoon located approximately 2 kilometres from Maniyafushi has now been designated for mariculture. To rapidly advance the mariculture industry, the government has also decided to provide numerous concessions to foreign investors operating in the mariculture zones.
