The Ministry of Fisheries, Agriculture and Ocean Resources has designated 10 additional areas for mariculture to expand and develop the industry in the Maldives.
Mariculture refers to the farming and cultivation of marine life in lagoons and ocean areas for commercial purposes.
Previously, four areas had been designated for mariculture, including K. Maniyafushi, M. Atoll, HA Atoll, HDh Atoll, and areas of Th. Atoll. With the latest designation, 10 more areas have been added: two in Th. Atoll, three in M. Atoll, two in F. Atoll, two in Dh. Atoll and one in G.A. Atoll.
The ministry shared the coordinates of the newly designated areas in a post on X, showing their locations across the Maldives. Further information can be obtained from the ministry at pec@fishagriocean.gov.mv.
The move comes as the government seeks to build mariculture into a major contributor to the Maldivian economy. In March, Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam said he hoped to develop the industry into a sector generating billions of rufiyaa. He also said that around MVR 300 million was being invested in mariculture at K. Maniyafushi, and that a seaweed cultivation project was also underway.
In June, the Fisheries Ministry said the Maldives was exporting around 63 tonnes of seaweed per month, with ambitions to grow the trade to a level that could generate income comparable to that of the country’s skipjack tuna fishery.
