Fishing industry in the Maldives
Encyclopedia
The fishing industry
in the Maldives
is the island's second main industry. According to national tradition in the words of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
, "Fishing is the lifeblood of our nation, it is inborn. From the soil on which we live, to the sea around us, it remains an integral part of our existence. Fishing, and our country and its people, [are] one and shall remain inseparable forever."
The Maldives has an abundance of aquatic life and species of fish. Common are tuna
, grouper
s, dolphin fish, barracuda
, rainbow runner
, trevally and squirrelfish and many more. Aside from being of essential importance to the economy, fishing is also a popular recreational activity in the Maldives, not only among locals but by tourists. The islands have numerous fishing resorts which cater for these activities.
The Maldives
is an archipelago
in the Indian Ocean
, located south west of the southern tip of India
. Its population in 2008 was 386,000. There are twenty-six atolls
containing 1,192 islets, of which two hundred and fifty islands are inhabited. The low level of islands makes them vulnerable to sea level rises.
Fishing has long been the life blood of the Maldivian economy. Today it still employs half the Maldivian workforce. Formerly, Maldives shipped 90 percent of its fishing catch of tuna
in dried form to Sri Lanka
. However, because Sri Lanka cut back its imports of such fish, in 1979 Maldives joined with the Japanese Marubeni Corporation to form the Maldives Nippon Corporation that canned and processed fresh fish. Also in 1979 the Maldivian government created the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company
. This company controls the processing
and exporting of frozen and canned tuna. They also provide a collector vessel. All fishing is undertaken by the private sector and its involvement in processing and export is increasing.
Progress has also been made as a result of fisheries development projects undertaken by the World Bank
. Harbour and refrigeration facilities have been improved, leading to a fourfold increase in earnings from canned fish between 1983 and 1985. Further construction of fisheries refrigeration installations and related facilities such as collector vessels were underway in 1994, with funding both from Japan and the World Bank.
The tiny, low-lying islands have an average elevation of a few feet above sea
level. The highest elevation of any island is not more than three and a half meters. Although the Maldives were in the direct path of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
, little permanent damage resulted to the coral beds and fishing grounds.
The mainstays of the Maldives economy are its fisheries and tourism. Both are intrinsically related to the coral reef
s. The fisheries were the dominant sector of the economy until 1985, when the tourism industry overtook the fisheries in terms of its contribution to GDP. However fisheries continue to provide an important source of income for about 20 percent of the population, with about 22,000 individuals involved in full-time fishing activities.
Almost half of the catch is consumed locally.
As with other countries, the Maldivian 200 nautical miles (370.4 km) exclusive economic zone
(EEZ) gives its fishing industry
special fishing rights. It covers about 900,000 square kilometres. This area, plus the inland areas, are the areas which the Maldives can, under international law, regard as its fishing grounds.
For most coastal countries, the EEZ roughly coincides with the continental shelf
, the fishing rich area of relatively shallow water, less than 200 metres deep, that extends from most continental coastlines. The EEZ gives fishing and mineral rights to this shelf. In the case of the Madives, there is no continental shelf, since the Maldives are not part of a continent. The coral atoll equivalent of a continental shelf is the shallow coral floors surrounding the islands and within the coral basins and lagoons. The total land (not immersed) area of the islands is about 300 km2, and the total coral shelf area is about 35,000 km2.
This shelf area is large compared to the land area (120 times larger), but still small compared to deep ocean part of the Maldivian EEZ (30 times smaller).
There are four areas in the Maldives where fisheries can operate.
Reef fisheries are fisheries for reef fish and other organisms that live among coral reefs. The Maldives contain 2.86 percent of the world coral reefs. The FAO estimated in 1992 that a sustainable yield
of about 30,000 tonnes per year was possible for commercial reef fish. The atoll basins, which are by far the largest part of the Maldivian atolls, were identified as having large reef fish resources. Outside the atolls, the deep reef slopes support some high value species, but their total potential yield is relatively small.
Larger commercial reef fish, such as medium to large snapper
, grouper
, emperor
and reef associated jack
, are best caught by handlines and longlines. Other resources include aquarium fish
, and non invertebrate
s, such as sea cucumber, lobster
, giant clam
and black coral
. An increase in demand for reef fish from the tourism industry and overseas markets has raised the level of exploitation of particular reef fish varieties.
In terms of value, grouper
have been the most significant component of the reef fishery. The grouper fishery has also come under pressure due to demand from local tourism and international markets. The grouper fishery has been sustainable so far, but there is very little potential for expansion under current practices, and a strict management regime
is required.
Exports of aquarium fish
from the Maldives is increasing. Currently, about 100 species of fish are exported, with 20 species comprising over 75 percent of the trade. Some species exported are rare in the Maldives, and are vulnerable to overexploitation
. Cyanide fishing
is occasionally practiced in the Maldives to capture aquarium fish.
Shark have been fished for centuries in the Maldives. The main groups of sharks caught in the Maldives are reef shark
s, deep water gulper shark
s and ocean sharks. The reef shark fishery generates more revenue for the fisheries and tourism than the other groups. Shark fisheries continue to be exploited, particularly for export purposes.
The lobster fishery is mainly targeted for the local tourist industry.
Red coral has been harvested from reef beds for centuries, and the market for them is increasing. In the absence of adequate controls and monitoring, it is difficult to estimate how many people or areas are engaged in exploiting red coral.
Other coastal resources such as cowrie and cuttlefish
play a nominal role, and can be sustainably exploited at the present level. However, resources that can be cultured
such as giant clams, sea cucumber, some species of aquarium fish, and turtles, have considerable potential.
Pelagic fisheries are fisheries for pelagic fish, that is, for fish that are offshore in the open ocean, such as small schooling
forage fish
, sometimes called bait fish
, and larger fish who predate on them, such as tuna
and ocean sharks.
The major fishery in the Maldives is the tuna
fishery. The most important tuna species is the skipjack tuna
, although they are coming under increasing pressure. Next most important, in terms of fish exports from the Maldives, is the large yellowfin tuna
.
The tuna are caught by the following methods: pole and line, handline and longline. The pole and line method is most commonly used, and results in 90 percent (2002) of the total fish catch. This traditional use of the pole and line method in the Maldivian tuna industry has contributed to the sustainability of the tuna resources. With recent further improvements in fishing gear and methods, it appears that the catch levels may be close to the maximum sustainable yield
.
However, an even more extensive and sustainable coastal resource is forage fish
, such as anchovies
and herring
. This fishery is an integral part of the pole and line tuna fishery, since tuna feed on the forage fish. Future development of the traditional pole and line tuna fishery depends on the availability of this bait fishery. Catch rate for forage fish have increased greatly in recent years, but there is not enough data to really know what the current status of the forage fish stock
s are.
For poles
, Maldivian fishermen use a bamboo
or plastic construction pole, typically 10 to 15 feet (4.6 m) in length and capable of handling a fish weighing as much as 50 lb (22.7 kg), with a line
and a feathered barb-less hook attached to the smaller end of the pole. The fishermen will go out at the start of a fishing day in their dhoni boats
, looking for live bait such as small scad
s, silver side and sardine
, which are kept alive by the specialised fresh seawater circulating system of the dhoni. With bait on board they then go out looking for schools of tuna.
However a variety of different types of fishing are practised in the Maldives. Very popular is evening fishing just before the sunset. Recreational fishing is seasonal, dictated to by the monsoons. Big game fishing is particularly popular with tourists who will go out on boats with local fishermen and catch big game for sport.
is the culture of marine organisms in seawater. The islands in the Maldives are too small to have inland fisheries, nor are there land based aquaculture
activities at present. Fishing occurs in reef, coastal and offshore waters. However, various forms of mariculture are being experimentally trialled, such as the culture of pearl
s, giant clam
s, spiny lobster
s, bêche-de-mer
and grouper
.
Seaweed
culture has been trialled with little success so far. Nonetheless, culture appears promising given the extensive reef areas which can provide suitable habitats. Culturing crabs in mangrove
areas is also a possibility.
Sea cucumbers have been an important coastal resource. They were a very successful fishery to begin with, but have been overfished and need appropriate management to recover. Cultured sea cucumbers have considerable potential, although forage and grouper fisheries can be negatively affected by waste water from sea cucumbers.
The capital of the Maldives, Malé
is known for its busy fish market
s. Fish is an integral part of the Maldivian diet and it is a common sight to see office workers in formal white shirts and ties on bicycles after work taking skipjack home to eat. Trolleys packed full of fresh tuna or skipjack are carted around in door to door sales. Tuna however is the most important fish, and in recent years in the Maldives the industry has become more efficient, using tuna waste and residue to be processed into fishmeal, an animal food supplement, further contributing to the economy. The tuna industry in the Maldives has been greatly helped by The State Trading Organisation which rebuilt the efficient tuna cannery plant on the island of Felivaru. The canning process typically takes four days, and the plant has the benefits of modern technology and even a laboratory for research and quality control.
The islands of the Maldives have an extensive fleet
of small fishing boats
, built domestically, each of which can carry about eight to twelve persons. These boats are called dhoni
s.
In 1995 there were 1,674 vessels, of which motorised vessels for coastal pole and line tuna fishing accounted for 1,407 vessels. Of the remainder, 5 were sailing dhoni (masdhoni), 48 were mechanised dhoni (vadhudhoni), 209 were vadhudhoni with sails, and 5 were rowing boats used to troll reef waters.
Based on a US$3.2 million loan from the International Development Association
(IDA), most of the boats were mechanized in the course of the 1980s. Although the addition of motors increased fuel costs, it resulted in doubling the fishing catch between 1982 and 1985. Moreover, the 1992 catch of 82,000 tons set a record; for example, in 1987 the catch was 56,900 tons.
The dhoni, which with its variants, makes up almost the entire fleet, is a small open boat traditionally built from coconut wood, although wood imported from Southeast Asia and fibreglass is increasingly used. Originally sailing craft, nowadays these boats are usually fitted with motors. The main site for building dhonis is in Alifushi Raa Atoll. This boat building is a traditional craft in the Maldives, and young apprentices are still trained by skilled craftsmen. Boats crafted from timber take about 60 days to complete.
has occurred for
Environmental issues
include marine pollution
. Examples are increasing risks of spills from oil tankers, and industrial discharges from countries to the north, such as organochlorine residues such as DDT
, and heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium, lead, and arsenic. Certain destructive methods
used when fish aggregating can cause irreversible damage to the coral reefs, as can boats dropping anchors. Toxic household chemicals have been used when forage fishing. There has been a loss of coastal habitats associated with dredging harbours, reclamation, and the mining of coral and sand for construction. This has affected seagrass
beds, mangroves and coral reefs. The significance of mangroves areas to the coastal and marine fishery has not been adequately studied.
Outside aid programmes have initiated reef monitoring projects in the Maldives. However, monitoring has been discontinued when projects have finished, and little of this information has been used to inform decision-making. The Maldives needs to maintain continuity in monitoring, and coordinate its approach to managing its reefs.
Factors which have contributed to increasing catches of fish include an increasing number of mechanised and motorised boats, installation of fish aggregating devices which improve the efficiency of fishing activities, and improvements in infrastructure for collecting and handling the fish catch. Of the pelagic species, skipjack tuna has been almost exclusively exploited. The pelagic fisheries may have considerable expansion potential, especially further from the coast, targeting species such as yellowfin. Demersal and reef species can also be exploited at higher levels. At present, development is limited by limited local facilities for storing and transporting fish.
Future prospects are partly a matter of the quality of fisheries research
and management
. Research is coordinated and carried out by the government run Marine Research Centre. The FAO Bay of Bengal Programme is exploring the reef and tuna fish, and facilitating a fisheries management
system. The United Kingdom is helping investigations into the recovey of coral reefs, the status of tuna stocks, and possibilities for coral mining and further fish marketing
. Canada is helping research into coral reefs and the implementation of marine surveillance facilities
.
Fishing industry
The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products....
in the Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
is the island's second main industry. According to national tradition in the words of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was President of the Maldives from 1978 to 2008. After serving as Minister of Transport, he was nominated as President by the Majlis of the Maldives and succeeded Ibrahim Nasir on November 11, 1978. He eventually became the longest-ruling head of government in Asia...
, "Fishing is the lifeblood of our nation, it is inborn. From the soil on which we live, to the sea around us, it remains an integral part of our existence. Fishing, and our country and its people, [are] one and shall remain inseparable forever."
The Maldives has an abundance of aquatic life and species of fish. Common are tuna
Tuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
, grouper
Grouper
Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes.Not all serranids are called groupers; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name grouper is usually given to fish in one of two large genera: Epinephelus...
s, dolphin fish, barracuda
Barracuda
The barracuda is a ray-finned fish known for its large size and fearsome appearance. Its body is long, fairly compressed, and covered with small, smooth scales. Some species could reach up to 1.8m in length and 30 cm in width...
, rainbow runner
Rainbow runner
The rainbow runner , also known as the rainbow yellowtail, Spanish jack and Hawaiian salmon, is a common species of pelagic marine fish of the jack family, Carangidae. The species is widespread throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the world, inhabiting both coastal as well as far...
, trevally and squirrelfish and many more. Aside from being of essential importance to the economy, fishing is also a popular recreational activity in the Maldives, not only among locals but by tourists. The islands have numerous fishing resorts which cater for these activities.
The Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
is an archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, located south west of the southern tip of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Its population in 2008 was 386,000. There are twenty-six atolls
Atolls of the Maldives
The Maldives are formed by a number of natural atolls plus atolls in the form of a few islands and isolated reefs today which form a pattern stretching from 7 degrees 10' North to 0 degrees 45' South....
containing 1,192 islets, of which two hundred and fifty islands are inhabited. The low level of islands makes them vulnerable to sea level rises.
History
Tuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
in dried form to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. However, because Sri Lanka cut back its imports of such fish, in 1979 Maldives joined with the Japanese Marubeni Corporation to form the Maldives Nippon Corporation that canned and processed fresh fish. Also in 1979 the Maldivian government created the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company
Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company
The Maldives Industrial fisheries company, MIFCO, is a public company engaged in the production, processing and marketing of fish and fishery products...
. This company controls the processing
Fish processing
The term fish processing refers to the processes associated with fish and fish products between the time fish are caught or harvested, and the time the final product is delivered to the customer...
and exporting of frozen and canned tuna. They also provide a collector vessel. All fishing is undertaken by the private sector and its involvement in processing and export is increasing.
Progress has also been made as a result of fisheries development projects undertaken by the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
. Harbour and refrigeration facilities have been improved, leading to a fourfold increase in earnings from canned fish between 1983 and 1985. Further construction of fisheries refrigeration installations and related facilities such as collector vessels were underway in 1994, with funding both from Japan and the World Bank.
The tiny, low-lying islands have an average elevation of a few feet above sea
level. The highest elevation of any island is not more than three and a half meters. Although the Maldives were in the direct path of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on the Maldives
In the Maldives, 82 people were killed and 26 reported missing and presumed dead after it was hit by a tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on 26 December 2004. Two-thirds of the capital city Malé was flooded during the early hours of the day...
, little permanent damage resulted to the coral beds and fishing grounds.
The mainstays of the Maldives economy are its fisheries and tourism. Both are intrinsically related to the coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s. The fisheries were the dominant sector of the economy until 1985, when the tourism industry overtook the fisheries in terms of its contribution to GDP. However fisheries continue to provide an important source of income for about 20 percent of the population, with about 22,000 individuals involved in full-time fishing activities.
Statistics
The following table shows the total volume of aquatic species caught in the Maldives, as reported by the FAO, for all commercial, industrial, recreational and subsistence purposes.| Total catch | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2006 |
| Tonnes | 13,000 | 37,273 | 38,624 | 78,733 | 118,963 | 184,158 |
| Fisheries data in tons wet weight | |||||
| 1996 | Production | Imports | Exports | Food supply | Per capita kg/year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fish for direct human consumption | 103,500 | nil | 57,200 | 46,300 | 176 |
| Fish for animal feed etc. | 2,100 | 2,100 | |||
Almost half of the catch is consumed locally.
EEZ
Exclusive Economic Zone
Under the law of the sea, an exclusive economic zone is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, including production of energy from water and wind. It stretches from the seaward edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical...
(EEZ) gives its fishing industry
Fishing industry
The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products....
special fishing rights. It covers about 900,000 square kilometres. This area, plus the inland areas, are the areas which the Maldives can, under international law, regard as its fishing grounds.
For most coastal countries, the EEZ roughly coincides with the continental shelf
Continental shelf
The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain. Much of the shelf was exposed during glacial periods, but is now submerged under relatively shallow seas and gulfs, and was similarly submerged during other interglacial periods. The continental margin,...
, the fishing rich area of relatively shallow water, less than 200 metres deep, that extends from most continental coastlines. The EEZ gives fishing and mineral rights to this shelf. In the case of the Madives, there is no continental shelf, since the Maldives are not part of a continent. The coral atoll equivalent of a continental shelf is the shallow coral floors surrounding the islands and within the coral basins and lagoons. The total land (not immersed) area of the islands is about 300 km2, and the total coral shelf area is about 35,000 km2.
This shelf area is large compared to the land area (120 times larger), but still small compared to deep ocean part of the Maldivian EEZ (30 times smaller).
There are four areas in the Maldives where fisheries can operate.
- Land areas: The islands in the Maldives are too small to have inland lakes and rivers, so there are no inland fisheries. Nor have there been any land based aquacultureAquacultureAquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the...
activities to date.
- Coral lagoons: Many of the islands in the Maldives have subsided, leaving lagoons wholly or partially enclosed by a ring of coral (see diagrams below right). These lagoons team with reef fish and other aquatic life.
- The outer coral shelf: which slopes away steeply, and does not offer as rich fishing grounds as the inner lagoons do.
- Deep ocean: which is by far the largest part of the Maldivian EEZ. This area is inhabited by pelagic fishPelagic fishPelagic fish live near the surface or in the water column of coastal, ocean and lake waters, but not on the bottom of the sea or the lake. They can be contrasted with demersal fish, which do live on or near the bottom, and reef fish which are associated with coral reefs.The marine pelagic...
, small schoolingShoaling and schoolingIn biology, any group of fish that stay together for social reasons are said to be shoaling , and if, in addition, the group is swimming in the same direction in a coordinated manner, they are said to be schooling . In common usage, the terms are sometimes used rather loosely...
forage fishForage fishForage fish, also called prey fish or bait fish, are small fish which are preyed on by larger predators for food. Predators include other larger fish, seabirds and marine mammals. Typical ocean forage fish feed near the base of the food chain on plankton, often by filter feeding...
, sometimes called bait fishBait fishBait fish are small fish caught for use as bait to attract large predatory fish, particularly game fish. Species used are typically those that are common and breed rapidly, making them easy to catch and in regular supply. Examples of marine bait fish are anchovies, halfbeaks such as ballyhoo, and...
, and larger fish who predate on them, such as tunaTunaTuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
and sharkSharkSharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
. By far, the greatest volume of catch in the Maldives comes from this area.
Bait fisheries
Different types of bait fishing are used in Maldive. Most common method is night time using lights.Reef fisheries
Maximum sustainable yield
In population ecology and economics, maximum sustainable yield or MSY is, theoretically, the largest yield that can be taken from a species' stock over an indefinite period...
of about 30,000 tonnes per year was possible for commercial reef fish. The atoll basins, which are by far the largest part of the Maldivian atolls, were identified as having large reef fish resources. Outside the atolls, the deep reef slopes support some high value species, but their total potential yield is relatively small.
Larger commercial reef fish, such as medium to large snapper
Lutjanidae
Snappers are a family of perciform fish, mainly marine but with some members inhabiting estuaries, feeding in freshwater. Some are important food fish. One of the best known is the red snapper....
, grouper
Grouper
Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes.Not all serranids are called groupers; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name grouper is usually given to fish in one of two large genera: Epinephelus...
, emperor
Lethrinidae
The emperor breams or simply emperors also known as pigface breams are a family, Lethrinidae, of fishes in the order Perciformes....
and reef associated jack
Carangidae
Carangidae is a family of fish which includes the jacks, pompanos, jack mackerels, and scads.They are marine fish found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans...
, are best caught by handlines and longlines. Other resources include aquarium fish
Aquarium fish
In fishkeeping, species of aquarium fish vary with the water chemistry of the aquarium.For species of fish found in particular types of aquaria, see:*List of brackish aquarium fish species*List of freshwater aquarium amphibian species...
, and non invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s, such as sea cucumber, lobster
Lobster
Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
, giant clam
Giant clam
The giant clam, Tridacna gigas , is the largest living bivalve mollusc. T. gigas is one of the most endangered clam species. It was mentioned as early as 1825 in scientific reports...
and black coral
Black coral
Black corals are a group of deep water, tree-like corals related to sea anemones. They are also found in rare dark shallow water areas such as New Zealand's Milford Sound where they can be viewed from an underwater observatory. They normally occur in the tropics...
. An increase in demand for reef fish from the tourism industry and overseas markets has raised the level of exploitation of particular reef fish varieties.
In terms of value, grouper
Grouper
Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes.Not all serranids are called groupers; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name grouper is usually given to fish in one of two large genera: Epinephelus...
have been the most significant component of the reef fishery. The grouper fishery has also come under pressure due to demand from local tourism and international markets. The grouper fishery has been sustainable so far, but there is very little potential for expansion under current practices, and a strict management regime
Fisheries management
Fisheries management draws on fisheries science in order to find ways to protect fishery resources so sustainable exploitation is possible. Modern fisheries management is often referred to as a governmental system of appropriate management rules based on defined objectives and a mix of management...
is required.
Exports of aquarium fish
Aquarium fish
In fishkeeping, species of aquarium fish vary with the water chemistry of the aquarium.For species of fish found in particular types of aquaria, see:*List of brackish aquarium fish species*List of freshwater aquarium amphibian species...
from the Maldives is increasing. Currently, about 100 species of fish are exported, with 20 species comprising over 75 percent of the trade. Some species exported are rare in the Maldives, and are vulnerable to overexploitation
Overexploitation
Overexploitation, also called overharvesting, refers to harvesting a renewable resource to the point of diminishing returns. Sustained overexploitation can lead to the destruction of the resource...
. Cyanide fishing
Cyanide fishing
Cyanide fishing is a method of collecting live fish mainly for use in aquariums, which involves spraying a sodium cyanide mixture into the desired fish's habitat in order to stun the fish...
is occasionally practiced in the Maldives to capture aquarium fish.
Shark have been fished for centuries in the Maldives. The main groups of sharks caught in the Maldives are reef shark
Reef shark
Several species of reef-associated sharks are known as reef sharks:* Blacktip reef shark, Carcharhinus melanopterus* Caribbean reef shark, Carcharhinus perezi* Grey reef shark, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos...
s, deep water gulper shark
Gulper shark
The gulper shark , is a large common deep-water dogfish. Gulper sharks have no anal fin, two dorsal fins with spines, a long, broad snout, widely spaced flat denticles, and angular, extended pectoral fins. Maximum length is 1.5 m...
s and ocean sharks. The reef shark fishery generates more revenue for the fisheries and tourism than the other groups. Shark fisheries continue to be exploited, particularly for export purposes.
The lobster fishery is mainly targeted for the local tourist industry.
Other coastal resources such as cowrie and cuttlefish
Cuttlefish
Cuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda . Despite their name, cuttlefish are not fish but molluscs....
play a nominal role, and can be sustainably exploited at the present level. However, resources that can be cultured
Aquaculture
Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the...
such as giant clams, sea cucumber, some species of aquarium fish, and turtles, have considerable potential.
Pelagic fisheries
Shoaling and schooling
In biology, any group of fish that stay together for social reasons are said to be shoaling , and if, in addition, the group is swimming in the same direction in a coordinated manner, they are said to be schooling . In common usage, the terms are sometimes used rather loosely...
forage fish
Forage fish
Forage fish, also called prey fish or bait fish, are small fish which are preyed on by larger predators for food. Predators include other larger fish, seabirds and marine mammals. Typical ocean forage fish feed near the base of the food chain on plankton, often by filter feeding...
, sometimes called bait fish
Bait fish
Bait fish are small fish caught for use as bait to attract large predatory fish, particularly game fish. Species used are typically those that are common and breed rapidly, making them easy to catch and in regular supply. Examples of marine bait fish are anchovies, halfbeaks such as ballyhoo, and...
, and larger fish who predate on them, such as tuna
Tuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
and ocean sharks.
The major fishery in the Maldives is the tuna
Tuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
fishery. The most important tuna species is the skipjack tuna
Skipjack tuna
The skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis, is a medium-sized perciform fish in the tuna family, Scombridae. It is otherwise known as the aku, arctic bonito, mushmouth, oceanic bonito, striped tuna, or victor fish...
, although they are coming under increasing pressure. Next most important, in terms of fish exports from the Maldives, is the large yellowfin tuna
Yellowfin tuna
The yellowfin tuna is a species of tuna found in pelagic waters of tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide.Yellowfin is often marketed as ahi, from its Hawaiian name ahi although the name ahi in Hawaiian also refers to the closely related bigeye tuna. The species name, albacares can lead to...
.
The tuna are caught by the following methods: pole and line, handline and longline. The pole and line method is most commonly used, and results in 90 percent (2002) of the total fish catch. This traditional use of the pole and line method in the Maldivian tuna industry has contributed to the sustainability of the tuna resources. With recent further improvements in fishing gear and methods, it appears that the catch levels may be close to the maximum sustainable yield
Maximum sustainable yield
In population ecology and economics, maximum sustainable yield or MSY is, theoretically, the largest yield that can be taken from a species' stock over an indefinite period...
.
However, an even more extensive and sustainable coastal resource is forage fish
Forage fish
Forage fish, also called prey fish or bait fish, are small fish which are preyed on by larger predators for food. Predators include other larger fish, seabirds and marine mammals. Typical ocean forage fish feed near the base of the food chain on plankton, often by filter feeding...
, such as anchovies
Anchovy
Anchovies are a family of small, common salt-water forage fish. There are 144 species in 17 genera, found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Anchovies are usually classified as an oily fish.-Description:...
and herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
. This fishery is an integral part of the pole and line tuna fishery, since tuna feed on the forage fish. Future development of the traditional pole and line tuna fishery depends on the availability of this bait fishery. Catch rate for forage fish have increased greatly in recent years, but there is not enough data to really know what the current status of the forage fish stock
Fish stock
Fish stocks are subpopulations of a particular species of fish, for which intrinsic parameters are the only significant factors in determining population dynamics, while extrinsic factors are considered to be insignificant.-The stock concept:All species have geographic limits to their...
s are.
Fishing rod
A fishing rod or a fishing pole is a tool used to catch fish, usually in conjunction with the pastime of angling, and can also be used in competition casting. . A length of fishing line is attached to a long, flexible rod or pole: one end terminates in a hook for catching the fish...
, Maldivian fishermen use a bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
or plastic construction pole, typically 10 to 15 feet (4.6 m) in length and capable of handling a fish weighing as much as 50 lb (22.7 kg), with a line
Fishing line
A fishing line is a cord used or made for angling. Important parameters of a fishing line are its length, material, and weight...
and a feathered barb-less hook attached to the smaller end of the pole. The fishermen will go out at the start of a fishing day in their dhoni boats
Dhoni
Dhoni or Doni is a multi-purpose sail boat with a motor or lateen sails that is used in the Maldives. It is handcrafted and its use within the multi-island nation has been very important. A dhoni resembles a dhow, a traditional Arab sailing vessel.The traditional dhoni is one of the oldest known...
, looking for live bait such as small scad
Carangidae
Carangidae is a family of fish which includes the jacks, pompanos, jack mackerels, and scads.They are marine fish found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans...
s, silver side and sardine
Sardine
Sardines, or pilchards, are several types of small, oily fish related to herrings, family Clupeidae. Sardines are named after the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, around which they were once abundant....
, which are kept alive by the specialised fresh seawater circulating system of the dhoni. With bait on board they then go out looking for schools of tuna.
However a variety of different types of fishing are practised in the Maldives. Very popular is evening fishing just before the sunset. Recreational fishing is seasonal, dictated to by the monsoons. Big game fishing is particularly popular with tourists who will go out on boats with local fishermen and catch big game for sport.
Mariculture
MaricultureMariculture
Mariculture is a specialized branch of aquaculture involving the cultivation of marine organisms for food and other products in the open ocean, an enclosed section of the ocean, or in tanks, ponds or raceways which are filled with seawater. An example of the latter is the farming of marine fish,...
is the culture of marine organisms in seawater. The islands in the Maldives are too small to have inland fisheries, nor are there land based aquaculture
Aquaculture
Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the...
activities at present. Fishing occurs in reef, coastal and offshore waters. However, various forms of mariculture are being experimentally trialled, such as the culture of pearl
Pearl
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other...
s, giant clam
Giant clam
The giant clam, Tridacna gigas , is the largest living bivalve mollusc. T. gigas is one of the most endangered clam species. It was mentioned as early as 1825 in scientific reports...
s, spiny lobster
Spiny lobster
Spiny lobsters, also known as langouste or rock lobsters, are a family of about 45 species of achelate crustaceans, in the Decapoda Reptantia...
s, bêche-de-mer
Bêche-de-mer
Bêche-de-mer can refer to:* Bislama; Vanuatu Pidgin English* Sea cucumber...
and grouper
Grouper
Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes.Not all serranids are called groupers; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name grouper is usually given to fish in one of two large genera: Epinephelus...
.
Seaweed
Seaweed
Seaweed is a loose, colloquial term encompassing macroscopic, multicellular, benthic marine algae. The term includes some members of the red, brown and green algae...
culture has been trialled with little success so far. Nonetheless, culture appears promising given the extensive reef areas which can provide suitable habitats. Culturing crabs in mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
areas is also a possibility.
Sea cucumbers have been an important coastal resource. They were a very successful fishery to begin with, but have been overfished and need appropriate management to recover. Cultured sea cucumbers have considerable potential, although forage and grouper fisheries can be negatively affected by waste water from sea cucumbers.
Marketing
Malé
Malé , is the capital and most populous city in the Republic of Maldives. It is located at the southern edge of North Malé Atoll . It is also one of the Administrative divisions of the Maldives. Traditionally it was the King's Island, from where the ancient Maldive Royal dynasties ruled and where...
is known for its busy fish market
Fish market
A fish market is a marketplace used for marketing fish products. It can be dedicated to wholesale trade between fishermen and fish merchants, or to the sale of seafood to individual consumers, or to both...
s. Fish is an integral part of the Maldivian diet and it is a common sight to see office workers in formal white shirts and ties on bicycles after work taking skipjack home to eat. Trolleys packed full of fresh tuna or skipjack are carted around in door to door sales. Tuna however is the most important fish, and in recent years in the Maldives the industry has become more efficient, using tuna waste and residue to be processed into fishmeal, an animal food supplement, further contributing to the economy. The tuna industry in the Maldives has been greatly helped by The State Trading Organisation which rebuilt the efficient tuna cannery plant on the island of Felivaru. The canning process typically takes four days, and the plant has the benefits of modern technology and even a laboratory for research and quality control.
Fishing fleet
Fishing fleet
A fishing fleet is an aggregate of commercial fishing vessels. The term may be used of all vessels operating out of a particular port, all vessels engaged in a particular type of fishing , or all fishing vessels of a country or region.Although fishing vessels are not formally organized as if they...
of small fishing boats
Fishing vessel
A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. Many different kinds of vessels are used in commercial, artisanal and recreational fishing....
, built domestically, each of which can carry about eight to twelve persons. These boats are called dhoni
Dhoni
Dhoni or Doni is a multi-purpose sail boat with a motor or lateen sails that is used in the Maldives. It is handcrafted and its use within the multi-island nation has been very important. A dhoni resembles a dhow, a traditional Arab sailing vessel.The traditional dhoni is one of the oldest known...
s.
In 1995 there were 1,674 vessels, of which motorised vessels for coastal pole and line tuna fishing accounted for 1,407 vessels. Of the remainder, 5 were sailing dhoni (masdhoni), 48 were mechanised dhoni (vadhudhoni), 209 were vadhudhoni with sails, and 5 were rowing boats used to troll reef waters.
Based on a US$3.2 million loan from the International Development Association
International Development Association
The International Development Association , is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries. It complements the World Bank's other lending arm — the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development — which serves middle-income countries with capital investment and...
(IDA), most of the boats were mechanized in the course of the 1980s. Although the addition of motors increased fuel costs, it resulted in doubling the fishing catch between 1982 and 1985. Moreover, the 1992 catch of 82,000 tons set a record; for example, in 1987 the catch was 56,900 tons.
The dhoni, which with its variants, makes up almost the entire fleet, is a small open boat traditionally built from coconut wood, although wood imported from Southeast Asia and fibreglass is increasingly used. Originally sailing craft, nowadays these boats are usually fitted with motors. The main site for building dhonis is in Alifushi Raa Atoll. This boat building is a traditional craft in the Maldives, and young apprentices are still trained by skilled craftsmen. Boats crafted from timber take about 60 days to complete.
Issues
OverfishingOverfishing
Overfishing occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level. This can occur in any body of water from a pond to the oceans....
has occurred for
- Black coralBlack coralBlack corals are a group of deep water, tree-like corals related to sea anemones. They are also found in rare dark shallow water areas such as New Zealand's Milford Sound where they can be viewed from an underwater observatory. They normally occur in the tropics...
s - These were presumably once abundant on Maldivian reefs. Over the last two decades large quantities were removed, and they are now protected.
- Giant clamGiant clamThe giant clam, Tridacna gigas , is the largest living bivalve mollusc. T. gigas is one of the most endangered clam species. It was mentioned as early as 1825 in scientific reports...
s - The giant clam fishery was very short-lived, lasting about a year from 1990. This exploitation of the giant clam was very destructive to the reefs and the government banned the fishery in 1991.
- TurtleTurtleTurtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
s - Turtles have been exploited for local trade and consumption for hundreds of years. They were further exploited to provide curios for the tourists. A moratorium on catching turtles is has been in force since 1995.
- Sea cucumbers - The most popular species of sea cucumbers have been overexploited, resulting in near collapse of the fishery in 1997.
Environmental issues
Environmental effects of fishing
The environmental impact of fishing can be divided into issues that involve the availability of fish to be caught, such as overfishing, sustainable fisheries, and fisheries management; and issues that involve the impact of fishing on other elements of the environment, such as by-catch.These...
include marine pollution
Marine pollution
Marine pollution occurs when harmful, or potentially harmful effects, can result from the entry into the ocean of chemicals, particles, industrial, agricultural and residential waste, noise, or the spread of invasive organisms. Most sources of marine pollution are land based...
. Examples are increasing risks of spills from oil tankers, and industrial discharges from countries to the north, such as organochlorine residues such as DDT
DDT
DDT is one of the most well-known synthetic insecticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history....
, and heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium, lead, and arsenic. Certain destructive methods
Destructive fishing practices
The phrase destructive fishing practices has been featured in international fisheries literature for around three decades. No widely accepted definition of the phrase exists, and this will almost certainly remain the situation, given very different national and industry perspectives...
used when fish aggregating can cause irreversible damage to the coral reefs, as can boats dropping anchors. Toxic household chemicals have been used when forage fishing. There has been a loss of coastal habitats associated with dredging harbours, reclamation, and the mining of coral and sand for construction. This has affected seagrass
Seagrass
Seagrasses are flowering plants from one of four plant families , all in the order Alismatales , which grow in marine, fully saline environments.-Ecology:...
beds, mangroves and coral reefs. The significance of mangroves areas to the coastal and marine fishery has not been adequately studied.
Outside aid programmes have initiated reef monitoring projects in the Maldives. However, monitoring has been discontinued when projects have finished, and little of this information has been used to inform decision-making. The Maldives needs to maintain continuity in monitoring, and coordinate its approach to managing its reefs.
Prospects
Future prospects are partly a matter of the quality of fisheries research
Fisheries science
Fisheries science is the academic discipline of managing and understanding fisheries. It is a multidisciplinary science, which draws on the disciplines of oceanography, marine biology, marine conservation, ecology, population dynamics, economics and management to attempt to provide an integrated...
and management
Fisheries management
Fisheries management draws on fisheries science in order to find ways to protect fishery resources so sustainable exploitation is possible. Modern fisheries management is often referred to as a governmental system of appropriate management rules based on defined objectives and a mix of management...
. Research is coordinated and carried out by the government run Marine Research Centre. The FAO Bay of Bengal Programme is exploring the reef and tuna fish, and facilitating a fisheries management
Fisheries management
Fisheries management draws on fisheries science in order to find ways to protect fishery resources so sustainable exploitation is possible. Modern fisheries management is often referred to as a governmental system of appropriate management rules based on defined objectives and a mix of management...
system. The United Kingdom is helping investigations into the recovey of coral reefs, the status of tuna stocks, and possibilities for coral mining and further fish marketing
Fish marketing
Fish marketing, is the marketing and sale of fish products.-Live fish trade:The live fish trade is a global system that links fishing communities with markets, primarily in Hong Kong and mainland China...
. Canada is helping research into coral reefs and the implementation of marine surveillance facilities
Monitoring control and surveillance
Monitoring, control and surveillance , in the context of fisheries, is defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as a broadening of traditional enforcing national rules over fishing, to the support of the broader problem of fisheries management.Internationally, the...
.
See also
- Industries in MaldivesIndustries in Maldives- Pole and Line Fishing :Since time immemorial, the method of fishing employed in the Archipelago has been the pole and line method. The types of fish caught by this method are tuna, skipjack tuna, frigate and mackerel. The main catch is tuna, which is used in the daily diet of the inhabitants, as...
- Economic aid to MaldivesEconomic aid to MaldivesBefore the 1980s, the Maldives received limited assistance from UN specialized agencies. Much of the external help came from Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE, for use on an ad hoc basis rather than as part of comprehensive development plan...
- Tourism in the MaldivesTourism in the MaldivesTourism is the largest economic industry in the Maldives, as it plays an important role in earning foreign exchange revenues and generating employment in the tertiary sector of the country. The archipelago of the Maldives is the main source of attraction to many tourists visiting the country...
- Economy of the Maldives