Ministry of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail has revealed that it is receiving requests for more foreign workers in the fishing sector, due to the lack of Maldivian fishermen.
Speaking to the Parliamentary Committee on Economic Affairs, Minister Fayyaz expressed concern over the decreasing number of fishermen. The minister said that fishing crews now have a large quota of foreign workers and that some boats are unable to leave for fishing due to the low number of crew members. He also noted that the regulations ban fishing crews from employing foreign workers as fishermen but they can be allowed to assist in other work.
The latest statistics from the Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture show that 750 fishing boats have licenses, and 17,000 individuals are employed as fishermen.