Malé, Maldives – MP for Dhangethi Constituency, former Defense Minister Colonel (Retired) Mohamed Nazim has said that allowing foreigners to fish is the beginning of the loss of the industry.
In a tweet on the occasion of Fishermen’s Day, Nazim said that Maldivian fishermen should be developed and if the government wants to do that, they can do it. Without doing so, allowing foreigners to become fishermen on Maldivian vessels is the beginning of the industry’s decline, he said.
The Regulation on the Planning and Management of Seafood Fisheries was amended only recently to allow foreigners to engage in fishing in Maldives.
Under the new rules, the number of foreigners allowed to be employed will be determined according to the size of the vessel.
The rules previously prohibited foreigners from engaging in direct fishing in any fishing vessel within the scope of the rules. Among the fishing vessels covered by the rules, it was stated that a maximum of two foreign nationals may be employed in a vessel to provide security and cook for the crew.
With the amendment to the rules;
- Maximum of four foreigners in vehicles smaller than 15 metres
- Maximum of six foreigners in vessels between 15 meters and 24 metres
- Maximum of eight foreigners in vessels larger than 24 metres
Foreigners can engage in fishing in accordance with the rules and regulations made by the relevant government agencies. The foreigner must have an unexpired work permit.
At the same time, the foreigners working in the work are must be paid salaries and allowances as per the Employment Act.
Foreigners have been prohibited from doing the work directly because the industry will become more foreign.
