Saudi fishermen continue to be marginalized because of price manipulation by layers of fish traders who are reaping the benefits from the catch of the fishermen. “Our fishermen are not getting much return from their fish harvest; the fish dealers and traders are getting much of the profit,” an official of the Fishery Research Center in Qatif said. “I wish our fishermen will get much of the benefits from our fishing industry,” he said. He said the layer of fish dealers, a number of them non-Saudis, control market price, a situation which is also not favorable to consumers. He said by the time the fish harvest reaches the market after passing through layers of fish traders, the price are already high to the disadvantage of the consumers and to the advantage of the dealers. He said fish prices usually go up this time of the year – during the winter season – due to the scarcity of fishing vessels venturing to catch fish in the Arabian Sea because of the bad weather, a situation which is exploited by traders. “Although normally prices go up during winter because of the scarcity of catch; prices are further manipulated to go higher because of high demand,” the official said. This holiday season, fish prices at the Sihat and Dammam fish markets, which are mostly managed by non-Saudis, have gone up by 40 percent. The favorite Hamour fish is now SR35 per kg. Shrimp is priced between SR15 to SR37 depending upon the size. The shrimps season in the Arabian Sea will end this month and will be imposed starting February until end of July to allow the spawning and growth of juvenile shrimps to maturity in time for the next harvesting season. During the off-season, shrimp prices will reach up to SR40 per kg. During the off-season when prices of shrimps and other fish varieties are up, wild fishing is resorted to meet increasing demand, the situation often monitored by Saudi Coast Guard to control illegal fishing. The Saudi Ministry of Agriculture study revealed that shrimp and the finfish resources of both the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea coasts are already intensely exploited. The Kingdom continues to implement management measures to control exploitation of its fishery resources. These controls include the strict yearly implementation of off shrimp fishing seasons from end of January to end of July in the Arabian Gulf and from March 1 to August 1 in the Red Sea, mesh size restrictions for gill nets in both the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf, development of the traditional fishing and modernization of fishing facilities, grant of soft loans to fishermen, and establishment of marine protected areas in both the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf. The Saudi fishing industry's contribution to the national economy is very small. Employment of Saudis in the industry is also very low. While citizens own and operate traditional and industrial vessels, the local fishing industry is heavily dependent on foreign workers with more than 50 percent of these workers coming from Bangladesh, India and Sri. Lanka. Local fish catch supply only 38 percent of the total national demand, while 62 percent are imported fish and fish products. The Kingdom imports some $135 million worth of fish and fish products annually and exports $27 million worth of fish products, including shrimps.
