The state fish company, Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) has reported that 311 tonnes of fish were weighed on the first day of the new year.
MIFCO has begun publishing fishing statistics, including the number of fish caught daily, the regions where they were weighed, and the number of boats operating in each area. This will reveal the most ideal locations for fishing, MIFCO said.
According to MIFCO, Huvadhoo Atoll is currently yielding the highest fish catches. On the first day of the year, 22 boats from Huvadhoo South weighed 92.6 tonnes of fish. Huvadhoo North followed closely with 20 boats catching 80.7 tonnes of fish.
According to MIFCO statistics, fishing activity is also promising in Lhaviyani Atoll. While no fish were directly sold to Felivaru, 15 fishing boats weighed 58.1 tonnes of fish to three boats anchored at Felivaru Harbor.
On January 1, not counting MIFCO fishing boats, the most number of fish was weighed at Kooddoo. A total of 80.7 tonnes of fish were weighed to the Kooddoo facility and 221.1 tonnes to boats, bringing the final total to 311 tonnes from 79 boats.
MIFCO has cleared all pending payments to fishermen from 2024, under its policy to complete payments to fishermen within 48 hours of purchase.
Although fishing industry facing challenges last year, MIFCO’s recent statistics suggest an improvement. While mid-December statistics show catches fell below 100 tonnes, the daily average has risen above 200 tonnes from December 26.