With the sea being one of the Maldives’ main resources, the Mohamed Muizzu administration aims to establish several ventures to generate more income from marine resources, Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources Ahmed Shiyam said during a news interview at the ‘Kanduroadhi Ufaa’ festival organised by the Ministry on the occasion of World Oceans Day.
Shiyam said the administration’s vision is to utilise and protect the nation’s marine resources to the fullest, while promoting an array of fisheries and mariculture ventures in a sustainable manner.
“The President, when he named the cabinet, established the Ministry of Fisheries very much with a mandate for fisheries and marine resources, with a view towards increasing the profits of seafarers and through other activities utilising ocean resources. The aim is very much to have the activities be sustainable even as it generates income,” he said.
The festival, held at Hulhumalé on Saturday and inaugurated by Shiyam and the Minister of Climate Change, Environment, and Energy Thoriq Ibrahim, featured several environmental awareness stalls, including those showcasing analysis demonstrations and information on plastic recycling, as well as many others related to water sports, diving, and marine resources.
Minister Ibrahim said that, with the Maldives being 99 percent dependent on the sea, it was critical that people know the ocean environment and marine resources should be protected.
“It is important to know what these resources are, so what the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources is doing today is to explain what marine resources are and how to manage them,” Ibrahim said.
Various activities targeting children were also conducted at the festival.
