المملكة: “Kufiya” threatens marine life… and the “Environment” is looking for solutions to reduce bycatch
It has become a window Rare and endangered marine creatures, especially sea turtles.
The ministry’s fish and crustacean culture specialist, Engineer Abdullah Al-Salah, confirmed that shrimp trawls are one of the least selective fishing methods ever. He called for the need to reduce bycatch in shrimp trawl fisheries, stressing that this practice constitutes a massive waste of resources and a serious threat to marine life, including endangered species such as turtles. About 10% of the total global catch that is thrown into the sea.
In detailing the extent of the danger, Al-Salah pointed out that the destructive effect of the “keffiyeh” nets affects marine organisms vital to the stability of the ecosystem, such as sea turtles, sharks, lemmings, and dugongs, which get caught in the nets and die accidentally, which requires urgent technical intervention to stop this environmental bleeding.
Among the solutions being considered by the Ministry, Engineer Al Salah raised the importance of adopting modern technologies that have proven their success globally, such as “turtle exclusion devices” and “bycatch reduction devices.” These innovative technologies modify the design of nets to allow large creatures to escape, or use sound barriers that emit waves that repel fish without affecting the movement of shrimp, which increases fishing efficiency and protects biodiversity.
Al-Salah cited successful international experiences in this field, where countries such as the United States, Australia, and Mexico were able to achieve tangible positive results.
Economic and operational gains
He pointed out that studies have proven that turtle numbers In the United States, it increased exponentially after fishermen were required to use these devices, which provides strong evidence of their effectiveness and the possibility of their application in the waters of the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea.
Al-Salah stressed that there are direct economic and operational gains for the fishermen themselves. Reducing bycatch reduces the weight of the net, which allows the dragging period to be prolonged, reduces the time wasted in sorting the catch, and protects the net and the crew from damage caused by large and dangerous creatures.
He called for changing the traditional view of bycatch, and transforming it from a burden to be eliminated into an economic opportunity. He proposed motivating fishermen to keep the viable portion of the bycatch and sell it to consumers or to factories specialized in producing fishmeal, which is used as feed in fish farming projects, thus creating a sustainable economic cycle that benefits fishermen and preserves the riches of the sea for future generations.
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