The total quantity of fish landed in the Sultanate reached 607,978 tons at the end of October 2020 compared to 431,630 tons during the same period of 2019, which is a rise of 40.9%, according to statistics released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).
Traditional fishing practices in the Sultanate contributed to 579,817 tons of fish at the end of October 2020, constituting a rise of 40.3% over 413,263 tons in 2019. The total value of the fish stock was OMR275.72 million in 2020, representing a growth of 16.1% over OMR237.59 million in 2019.
Coastal fishing and commercial fishing contributed to about 3,183 tons and 24,978 tons of total fish landings, respectively, at the end of October 2020.
The Governorate of Al-Wusta had the highest fish landing at 219,193 tons, followed by the Governorate of Ash-Sharqiah South at 175,182 tons, and North and South Batinah at 68,582 tons. The quantity of fish landed in the governorate of Dhofar was 63,669 tons, and the quantity in Musandam was 27,400 tons. The landed quantity in Governorate of Muscat stood at 25,790 tons.
According to fish landing by species, the largest quantity of fish landed at the end of October 2020 comprised small pelagic fishes at 336,033 tons, compared to 243,969 tons at the end of October 2019, a rise of 37.7%. The quantity of large pelagic fish rose by 59.8% to reach 134,571 tons at the end of October 2020 compared to 84,194 tons at the end of October 2019.
The quantity of demersal fish landed reached 85,237 tons, an increase of 31.2% compared to October 2019 when it was 64,947 tons. Meanwhile, there was a rise in the quantity of crustaceans and molluscs by 16.5%, and sharks and rays by 6.7%.