By DIVE Staff
The Maldives government has said it will not reopen its longline fisheries, following a concerted campaign by international conservation groups and local fishermen to overturn a decision made in June to restart the practice.
Longline fishing for tuna was banned by the Maldives in 2019 following irregularities in the way fishing vessels had been reporting their catch data, and failure to abide by restrictions placed on the practice in 2010.
The 2019 decision followed an inspection by officials from the European Union Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, who warned that the level of malpractice could lead to a complete ban on the import of Maldivian fish into the EU.
Longlining is the practice of trailing lines that can be many kilometres in length, with thousands of baited hooks affixed to the line at set intervals. As a result, many non-targeted species are caught as bycatch, including sharks, rays, turtles, dolphins and seabirds.
A recent Greenpeace report found that as many as three sharks per hour were killed by a single fishery’s longline haul.
Concerns were raised following an announcement by the Ministry of Fisheries & Ocean Resources that it believed longline fishing for yellowfin and bigeye tuna could provide a significant boost in revenue for local fisheries.
The office of President Mohamed Muizzu has since said that it would not be implementing the proposal, after an open letter written by the Maldives Ocean Alliance said it ‘would undermine the impressive conservation achievements made in the Maldives over the past 15 years,’ and ‘reverse the significant progress made in shark conservation and the Maldives’ global reputation as a leader in sustainable fishing practices,’ which it said could ‘threaten the prosperity of the tourism industry.’
‘The government will always strive to listen to the views and consultations of the people, formulate government policies to address the concerns of the people and bring about positive changes in the country,’ the President’s Office said in a statement announcing the u-turn.
The Maldives has made significant strides in marine conservation in recent years, with shark populations recovering thanks to a ban on shark fishing implemented in 2010. A proposal to overturn the ban in 2021 was met with a similar international outcry as the longline campaign, and also resulted in the government overturning its decision.
The Maldives Ocean Alliance welcomed the decision, writing in an Instagram post that the group ‘welcome the President of the Maldives’ announcement to continue to support only one-by-one tuna fisheries, which makes the Maldives one of most sustainable tuna fisheries in the world.
‘This decision means that the Maldives will continue to provide a safe haven for ecologically significant and threatened marine megafauna such as all species of sharks, rays and turtles.’
