Expansion of fisheries in Qatar (1980-1992): Growth of an artisanal fleet and closure of a trawling company

Abstract

Total fish landings in Qatar increased from 1736 t per annum in 1980 to 7845 t in 1992. Ninetythree percent of this growth was due to an increase in the artisanal fleet exemplified by increases in: (i) numbers of vessels from 174 to 422; (ii) number of fishermen from 573 to 1962; (iii) mean power from 30 to 67 kW. The Qatar National Fishing Company (QNFC) fleet of trawlers ceased operation in 1992 when market share by value of catch had declined to 4.6%. The artisanal fleet landed a greater variety of high value species. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) of the trawlers showed no signs of decline but the average was 30% of values reported during trials in the 1970s. The CPUE was highest from January to April (124.3 kg h-1) and lowest in October (100.4 kg h-1).