Owing to the strong enforcement of recently revised guidelines on fishing in the Qatar sea, which stipulates that speed boats should be accompanied by either their sponsors or one of their local representatives, a large number of fishermen, mainly Asian expatriates, have left the country for good over the last couple of months.
Sources in the industry told this newspaper that with the stringent enforcement of the revised guidelines, many speed boats have been confined to the dock for over two months now. People in the industry put the number at over 200.
The non-availability of sponsors or the absence of representatives on boats is the reason workers are quitting their jobs and leaving the country.
Even though a small minority of sponsors or nominees are accompanying their employees, a large number of owners have not done so, especially over the weekends, sources said.
Many of those who have left the country had several years of experience and were considered experts. Their absence is being felt heavily these days and replacements are still to be found for most of them, said a boat owner.
Representatives of a forum working for the welfare of the country’s Indian fishermen confirmed that more than 250 of its members have not renewed their annual membership in the last three months and almost all have left the country and some of those who still hold valid residence permits are not planning to return.
Even if they come back there is no guarantee at this juncture that they would have regular employment, said Francis Anthony, a senior member of the community.
Even though some boat owners have made representations to the concerned departments asking for revoking of clauses of the revised guidelines which make the presence of sponsors or their representatives mandatory, nothing has changed so far. As no change in the revised guidelines is in sight, more are considering calling it quits.
The departure of expatriate fishermen has had its impact on fish prices which are at higher levels compared to the previous years.
The quantum of fish available these days has fallen sharply compared to the catch during the same period last year, said a senior member of Wakrah’s fishermen’s community.
With more and more possibly quitting employment to return home, the chances of fish prices shooting up considerably is high, he said.
Some elders among the expatriate fishermen said their children are not inclined to join the profession and are exploring other avenues.
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