Fishermen have organized a protes at Felivaru Industrial island over the delays in weighing and valuing of fish caught in recent weeks.
Several fishing vessels have docked in the island’s lagoon in protest and have made several key demands of local authorities.
The demands include keeping the price of fish at the minimum value of MVR 20, to have easy access to ice for fish vessel at Felivaru, and to bring Keekimini, which was used to weigh and value fish by Maldives Industrial Fishing Company MIFCO, back under the company to enhance its operations.
The Fishermen had also demanded that authorities must make arrangements for daily weighing and valuing of their catch so as to keep the catch fresh and their value intact.
Reports have said that the strike at Felivaru heated up earlier and Fishermen had moved on the island after breaking Police ranks.
Police have said that their officers are currently on scene and that they are working to solve the matter via negotiation without an escalation.
Several social media users have voiced their support for the fishermen in their plight including former National Football team goalkeeper Imran Mohamed.
In a tweet, Imran said that fishermen were right to protest their discontent with the current situation. He noted fishermen families struggle financially when their catch is not weighed or valued and when they fail to receive the appropriate price for their catch. He added that their struggle is well documented and unfolding in front of the whole nation.
Earlier this year, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had said that the government will help to ameliorate present difficulties in weighing and valuing fish catch, by setting up fish purchasing facilities.
Delivering remarks on the 40th Fisherman’s Day celebrated on the 10th of December, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih reiterated the Government’s commitment to strengthening the Maldives’ fisheries sector and outlined his Administration’s upcoming initiatives in the next year to fulfill that pledge.
He said that towards this end, the Government will be investing in six new ice plants to increase storage capacity while helping install cooling systems to increase storage on fishing boats.
But for most fishermen, the promise of a better tomorrow is useless with most looking for employment else in the struggle to feed their families and remain afloat in a struggling economy.
