The system to track fishing boats and vessels through automatic devices that have been approved recently by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, may emerge as a major boost to the sector.
With this system, it will be easy to regulate the fisheries sector properly and ensure the safety of the fishermen and their boats due to an easy and efficient next-generation tracking system.
The system, according to the parties involved in the conceptualization and implementation processes, will be a game-changer for the sector in terms of regulation and revenue generation.
An agreement to introduce the system was signed between the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources and Oman-based Middle East Scientific Equipment Corp (MESEC).
In an interview with Observer, Umesh Chauhan, Managing Director of MESEC, explained the huge benefits that the sector would witness in the coming years with the adoption of the system.
He thanked the ministry for all possible support for facilitating and taking forward the project with due suggestions.
“With the document signing for the tracking system, and much sooner the execution of the project, I believe every fisherman in the Sultanate will understand the importance of tracking them and hence will be comfortable to communicate to authorities for a renewal of their licenses as also for any kind of assistance needed during the emergency during fishing round,” he said.
Tracking of fishing vessels and boats, according to him, is one of the most important aspects of the sector in the current times, as it directly involves safety and security of the fishermen, revenue, and employment generation.
Since the focus is there on the regulation of the fishing activities in the Sultanate, “It would be easy for both the authorities and the fishermen to communicate and resolve...At the same time, the project will effectively improve the local and foreign investment environment opportunities in Oman, promote local employment, and provide a solid foundation for the development of fisheries resources in the country,” said Chauhan.
Oman, according to him, has huge fisheries potential that needs to be tapped and regulated properly. It can emerge as a major fisheries business hub with the implementation and monitoring of the latest technologies.
As the region’s leading solution provider of fisheries monitoring and surveillance, environmental monitoring, and process analysis and laboratory, Chauhan finds Oman’s strategic locations one of the best in the region that can fetch good revenue from the fisheries sector.
According to Chauhan, the MESEC Oman is a partner with CLS, France, a world leader in fisheries management solutions for several years. “In tracking and managing such services, whereas all the countries across the world attach high importance to CLS France, a subsidiary of National Centre for Space Studies (NCSS) and French Space Agency,” he said.
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