KUWAIT CITY, Dec 28: Head of the Kuwait Fishermen Union Dhaher Al-Suwayan affirmed that the fishing sector is excluded from the first category of the national employment ratios, as there are no Kuwaiti workers in the fishing profession, reports Al-Anba daily. He appealed to the Cabinet to find a quick solution to the problem of the shortage of fishermen. Al-Suwayan expressed his deep regret over the failure to solve the problem of recruiting fishermen from abroad, despite sending several letters to and holding several meetings with officials of the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) regarding all the challenges. He said PAM, despite giving promises to solve the problem more than two months ago, refuses to recruit fishermen from abroad at a rate of 100 percent.

Al-Suwayan explained that 240 licenses of fishing boats have been suspended due to the lack of fishermen. The licenses that work need to increase their employment capacity, which led to their suspension and reduced their catch. This negatively affected the supply and demand of fish and shrimp. The demands of PAM are difficult to implement, especially since they have been told to provide workforce locally.

This demand is impossible because the fishing profession is not available and has its own nature, and it needs training at a young age. This means the local market cannot provide the expertise needed in the fishing sector. He said, “A large part of the fishing licenses are on the verge of seizing their tasks of supplying the local market with fish and shrimp. We demand action to solve this problem, which has exacerbated and will cause a shortage of local marine products after the shrimp fishing season stops at the beginning of January, as the number of shrimp fishing licenses is estimated at more than 60.”