Muscat: Omani fisherman have reported generous profits during this year’s two-month lobster season which ended in the end of April.
Ahmad Jaboob, a fisherman in his 30s, told Gulf News that he caught more than 100 lobsters during the season off the Mirbat coasts of Dhofar governorate.
“I made around 2,500 riyals profit which will be enough to support my family this year,” he said.
Salam Al Hashmi made 3,500 riyals from fishing off South Sharqiyah coasts.
“I had to dive down eight metres for lobsters. I enjoy that. I can pay my housing loan and buy toys for my children,” he said.
The price of a kilogramme ranges between 3.5 and 5 riyals, a decent penny for most fishermen who make 500-700 riyals a month on average.
Oman produced 430 tonnes of lobster in 2016, compared to 416 tonnes in 2015, worth about 2.3 million riyals, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries statistics.
Oman exported 98 tonnes to the markets of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and some Asian and European countries.
Around 20,000 Omanis work in the fishing sector in Oman, according to the Ministry’s figures.
