Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture has commenced preparations to issue licences to foreign vessels purchasing tuna in Maldivian waters.
The fisheries ministry revealed the regulation for issuing licences to purchase tuna in Maldivian waters has now been published in the Government Gazette. The aim of the regulation is to increase competition in the export of tuna and to state the procedures under which local fishing vessels can sell their catch to foreign vessels.
As per the regulation, vessels applying for a licence to purchase tuna must be registered in a foreign country and must hold a capacity of at least 500MT. The vessel must also not have been listed by any law enforcement agency or authority over any criminal activities.
The regulation states licences to purchase tuna will be issued for a duration of 12 months. Licensed vessels must install a vessel locating device and an electronic observer system allocated by the fisheries ministry. If the vessel locating device or electronic observer unit is malfunctioning for any reason, the vessel cannot purchase tuna from local fishing vessels. Fines ranging between USD6,500 to USD52,000 are to be imposed on vessels that violate the regulation.
The fisheries ministry revealed application for the licences will be carried out through the designated online system of the ministry. The application forms and the necessary instructions will be made available on the website of the fisheries ministry.