Call for Maldives to reconsider plans to bring back longline fishing

International scientists and the Maldives Ocean Alliance are urging the Maldivian government to rethink its decision to reinstate longline fishing, a practice known for its high bycatch rates and threat to marine biodiversity. The proposed regulation could allow for shark bycatch, undermining the country's status as a sanctuary for sharks and rays. The return of longline fishing could also negatively impact local small-scale fishers, tourism income, and the health of the ocean. A petition against longlining has been launched, backed by prominent marine biologists.

Call for Maldives to reconsider plans to bring back longline fishing. International scientists, including from the UK, are calling on the Maldivian government to reconsider its plans to bring back destructive longline fishing – and hope to count on the support of concerned scuba divers who visit the Indian Ocean islands in search of big-animal experiences. Longline fishing threatens targeted and bycatch species and increases pressure on the already overfished tuna populations on which local small-scale fishers depend, say the scientists. The Maldives’ draft regulation will allow shark bycatch to be landed, threatening its status as something of a shark and ray sanctuary. Longlining would effectively restart shark-fishing in the atolls and, by also threatening crucial fish stocks, adversely affect ocean health, the livelihoods of the one-by-one fishers who operate sustainably, and also income from tourism, argue the campaigners. Fishers’ income would be affected by competition from ...