The government will stop people from catching, moving and selling kingfish, which people in Oman call kanad along the Omani coastline starting August 15. This rule will be in place until October 15. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources are making sure that people follow this rule.
The government wants to help the kingfishes to have babies and grow in number. They do not want people to catch many kingfish when they are having babies.
This rule applies to everyone who works with kingfish. It includes the people who catch the fish, the people who move the fish, the people who sell the fish and the people who buy the fish.
The government will watch the places where the fish are brought to land and the places where the fish are sold to make sure that people are following the rule. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources made this rule to help the kingfish. Kingfish are very important to Oman.
The government will make sure that people are not catching, selling or moving kingfish from August 15, to October 15. This will help the kingfish to have babies and grow in number.
To ensure transparency and prevent illegal catches from entering commercial distribution, commercial operators and traders holding existing kingfish inventories are mandated to report and register their stockpiles with regional ministry offices prior to the August 15 deadline.
Unregistered stock identified during routine market inspections will be confiscated, and non-compliant entities face administrative penalties and legal proceedings.
Kingfish remains a critical driver within Oman’s marine economy, generating multi-million-rial revenues and supporting coastal livelihoods across key fishing hubs, including Al Wusta and South Al Sharqiyah.
Ministry officials stressed that full stakeholder compliance is essential to balance immediate market supply with long-term ecological resilience, supporting national food security targets outlined in Oman Vision 2040.
