Oman’s total fish production during the first 11 months of 2020 contributed RO316mn to the sultanate’s gross domestic product (GDP), according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources.

The sultanate produced 705,000 tonnes of fish during the period from January to November – an increase of 39 per cent compared to the same period in 2019, the ministry said.

Artisanal fishing practices in the sultanate contributed 670,000 tonnes of fish, while coastal fishing contributed about 3,700 tonnes and commercial fishing around 31,000 tonnes.

Fish production increased by 4.8 per cent to 580,000 tonnes in the sultanate in 2019, compared to 553,000 tonnes in 2018, according to official statistics released recently.

The National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) said artisanal fishing accounted for 96 per cent of the sultanate’s total fish production in 2019.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources said it is planning to set up four fish collection centres in Al Wusta, South Sharqiyah and Dhofar governorates and a veterinary quarantine centre for livestock in Buraimi.

The ministry has called for tenders inviting Omani companies to bid for setting up the fish collection centres.

One fish collection centre will come up in the Ras Madrakah area in the wilayat of Duqm in Al Wusta governorate. The two centres in Dhofar will be located in Shaleem and Halaniyat Islands, and the Hasik area. The fish collection centre in South Sharqiyah will be located in the wilayat of Jalaan Bani Bu Ali.

In December last year, the ministry signed an agreement with Towers International Group to establish and invest in a fish collection centre in Hitam in the wilayat of Duqm in Al Wusta.

The agreement aims to increase investment and development of fishery industries.