Gov’t Plans Survey to Examine Falling Interest in Fishing Profession

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has announced that the government will conduct a survey within the next two months to examine the reasons behind the declining number of people entering the fisheries sector.

Speaking on the podcast, The Pulse, the president said the study aims to understand why fewer people are choosing to work as fishermen, noting a steady reduction in new entrants to the profession.

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He suggested that one of the contributing factors may be previous government recruitment practices, particularly large-scale hiring into Fenaka Corporation in islands, which he said provided relatively stable income close to home. He noted that this may have led some individuals to leave fishing, with some reportedly selling their boats.

President Muizzu added that the government is now working to resize Fenaka Corporation, and said this could lead to more people returning to fisheries, alongside increased opportunities in other private sector jobs.

He also said the government is planning broader measures to strengthen the fisheries sector, including doubling national ice storage capacity in the coming years and developing seaweed processing facilities aimed at supporting future exports.

Earlier this year, the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company Limited (MIFCO) had announced that it expected to complete and operationalise a new cold storage facility at its Felivaru production hub in Lhaviyani Atoll by mid-year.