Fishing Industry in The Maldives - Pelagic Fisheries

Pelagic Fisheries

Pelagic fisheries are fisheries for pelagic fish, that is, for fish that are offshore in the open ocean, such as small schooling forage fish, sometimes called bait fish, and larger fish who predate on them, such as tuna and ocean sharks.

The major fishery in the Maldives is the tuna fishery. The most important tuna species is the skipjack tuna, although they are coming under increasing pressure. Next most important, in terms of fish exports from the Maldives, is the large yellowfin tuna.

The tuna are caught by the following methods: pole and line, handline and longline. The pole and line method is most commonly used, and results in 90 percent (2002) of the total fish catch. This traditional use of the pole and line method in the Maldivian tuna industry has contributed to the sustainability of the tuna resources. With recent further improvements in fishing gear and methods, it appears that the catch levels may be close to the maximum sustainable yield.

However, an even more extensive and sustainable coastal resource is forage fish, such as anchovies and herring. This fishery is an integral part of the pole and line tuna fishery, since tuna feed on the forage fish. Future development of the traditional pole and line tuna fishery depends on the availability of this bait fishery. Catch rate for forage fish have increased greatly in recent years, but there is not enough data to really know what the current status of the forage fish stocks are.

For poles, Maldivian fishermen use a bamboo or plastic construction pole, typically 10 to 15 feet (4.6 m) in length and capable of handling a fish weighing as much as 50 lb (23 kg), with a line and a feathered barb-less hook attached to the smaller end of the pole. The fishermen will go out at the start of a fishing day in their dhoni boats, looking for live bait such as small scads, silver side and sardine, which are kept alive by the specialised fresh seawater circulating system of the dhoni. With bait on board they then go out looking for schools of tuna.

However a variety of different types of fishing are practised in the Maldives. Very popular is evening fishing just before the sunset. Recreational fishing is seasonal, dictated to by the monsoons. Big game fishing is particularly popular with tourists who will go out on boats with local fishermen and catch big game for sport.