Fishermen on Oman's Batinah coast: A lookout for policy interventions

Oman has a well-established history of fishing where most of her citizens depend directly or indirectly on fishing or fishing-related activities. Oman's long coastline is home to several inhabitants involved mainly in artisanal or traditional fisheries. Commercial fishing is largely prohibited in Oman barring a few regions. Batinah coast forms one of the biggest inhabited regions for fishermen in Oman. Although fishermen in the Batinah coast account for approximately 20% of the national catch, they face poor income conditions. This chapter gives a descriptive account of fishermen on the Batinah coast of Oman and the reasons affecting their growth and development. This chapter observes that the situation of Oman is different than the other developing countries. Fishermen face problems in earning a decent livelihood, and their expenses affect their savings and advancement. The Government of Oman is concerned with the state of fishery in the region and has put many efforts into developing a decent infrastructure across the region. However, not much emphasis has been placed on the human resources and enterprise. While fishermen need training and interactions with the government officials, government needs to be more observant and concerned about the not-so-well-off fishermen. The role of facilitators such as training institutions and banks becomes important in imparting fishermen the necessary skills and tools of productivity. All the facilitators and stakeholders need to come closer, sharing a common platform to advance fishing activity and its scope in the region.