Kuwaiti fishing industry in peril with urgent plea for support

• The Kuwaiti Federation of Fishermen explained that “the number of fishing boats that have been forced to stop working is increasing daily due to the migration of trained technical workers,” and called on government officials to stand by local producers and provide support.

The Kuwaiti Federation of Fishermen has issued a warning about the impending decline of the fishing profession in the country, urging the government to intervene and take action “before it is too late,” according to Al Rai newspaper.

The federation stated in a statement that the fishing profession “is struggling and collapsing in the face of numerous challenges, which requires an immediate and urgent solution to save it and support citizens with fishing licenses.”

It explained that “the number of fishing boats that have been forced to stop working is increasing daily due to the migration of trained technical workers,” and called on officials to stand by local producers and provide support.

The fishermen appealed to the government to “speed up the resolution of the subsidized diesel issue from its roots and to restore the previous quota for the fishing sector,” noting that the decision to reduce the quota “has caused the destruction of the sector and contributed to the reluctance to continue in the profession, which is at risk of disappearing along with the local product from the markets.”

He further explained that fishermen “contribute to providing food security through marine products,” warning of the potential disappearance of this healthy and safe product from the markets, emphasizing that its availability helps maintain price stability.

He added that “if the local producer is absent, the importer will control the market, and prices will continue to rise,” calling for the removal of the challenges facing the fishing sector “if officials truly want to support the local product and not leave the field to the importer alone.”

He pointed out that “the federation has knocked on all the doors of officials and met with several of them, but despite their understanding of our legitimate demands, their promises to us have not yet been fulfilled, and the situation remains unchanged, with the diesel crisis ongoing.”

He explained that most fishing license holders are citizens “who are indebted to banks, Al-Dalala offices, the Industrial Bank, and other credit companies due to their consecutive losses, which foreshadows a real catastrophe in the sector,” expressing “the hopes of the general fishermen for a radical solution to these difficulties.”