An evaluation of Oman's National Fisheries Development Strategy (NFDS) 2013–2020: Wealth or welfare maximisation?

This paper evaluates Oman's National Fisheries Development Strategy 2013–2020 (NFDS) which was adopted in 2012 to guide the future development of the country's fisheries sector. The NFDS is an ambiguous document which gives rise to two different interpretations. First, it can be interpreted as a radical model of fisheries development which is driven by the principle of wealth-maximisation and entails a massive expansion and modernization of the fishing industry, transforming it from its traditional artisanal inshore form into a high-tech industrial form with an emphasis on a large new offshore sector. Alternatively, it can be interpreted as a traditional artisanal inshore fishery model which is driven by the principle of welfare-maximisation upholding the long-established cultural values of fisheries-dependent communities. The paper discusses these two different interpretations of the NFDS, drawing on the literature as well as the insights of 176 respondents obtained from 44 key informant interviews, 10 focus group discussions, and 92 survey questionnaires. The findings are that the government has settled for a hybrid model consisting of a diluted version of the radical vision - encouraging the development of a moderately sized offshore sector - while continuing to strongly support the traditional artisanal sector. Judging by the fourfold increase in fisheries production in Oman since 2012, this hybrid model seems to be successful in expanding the size of the sector. The wider lesson to be drawn from this study is the importance of balancing economic benefits of modernisation with social benefits of traditional communities – a balance that many other countries (both developing and developed) are struggling to strike.