The Ministry of Environment (MoE) yesterday launched a workshop on the exchange of common experiences and approaches in implementing the fisheries information system in the GCC region.
The two-day workshop, inaugurated by Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser al-Thani, assistant undersecretary of agriculture affairs and fisheries at MoE, aims at introducing the experiences of Qatar in information collection in the field of fisheries and the creation of a
national database.
Sheikh Dr Faleh pointed out that Qatar has introduced a constantly updated national database for the local fisheries statistics, which is available on the Internet (Samaqweb) since 2010.
Elaborating on the economic and ecological benefits of the database, he hoped that the workshop would be instrumental for all GCC countries to develop their own fisheries
database systems.
Mohamed Saeed al-Shuqairi al-Muhannadi, director of the fisheries department at MoE, said that the database has been highly instrumental in saving time and effort and simultaneously providing scientific basis and reference for
decision-makers.
“All the decisions related to the regulations and protection of the fishing process should be based on proper statistics that reflect the actual situation with figures and facts. Previously, our information was based on the catch that comes to the fish market at the Central Market, which never reflected the real situation. So, we develop new database with the help of an international expert in the field and it has been working excellently since 2010. The methods approved by the new programme reflect about 90% of the reality of the fisheries sector in the country with minimum effort and time requirement,” pointed out al-Muhannadi.
Qatar’s experience in the field will be showcased during the workshop and assistance offered for those interested in implementing similar programmes.
Al-Muhannadi said that Qatar produces around 12,000 to 14,000 tonnes of various types of fish annually, which covers almost 80% of the local consumption. He was of the view that the remaining 20% could not be considered a shortage in production but rather due to the taste and culture of consumers who prefer other varieties of fish not available in Qatar.
The peak of the local season of production starts from April until May each year. Some information of the database is accessible through MoE website for the benefit of fishermen, traders, students and researchers.