The Ministry of Environment and Water is eager to adopt the best inspection procedure practices across all environmental facilities as part of the national initiative to promote environmental sustainability and the protection of natural resources, particularly in the field of aquaculture. The Ministry announced a new phase of inspections to be carried out by specialists from the External Audit Section, which will implement the use of a new system of fish measurement through modern digital devices to be used in local markets in accordance with Ministerial Decree No. 580 for the year 2015 on the prevention of fishing, selling and marketing of fingerlings.
The adoption of this measuring technology is in line with the national initiative to adopt smart services as part of the directives of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE, who declared 2015 as the year of innovation and asserted the Ministry’s eagerness to support federal and local government's efforts to achieve the goals of UAE Vision 2021.
According to H.E. Engineer Saif Mohammed Al-Shara, Assistant Undersecretary for External Audit sector, Ministry of Environment and Water, the Ministry is eager to develop and update the audit procedures of fishing enterprises in order to protect and ensure the development of living aquatic resources as well as enhance food security in the country. He explained that the external audit team aims to cultivate creativity and innovation in its operations in recognition of the pivotal role it plays. He added that the group is not only working to strengthen audit procedures but also to reinforce regional capacities in applying these mechanisms and regulations for the inspection on fishing enterprises.
H.E. Eng. Al-Shara said that the designated devices to be used in the measurement of fish lengths as stipulated by Ministerial Decree No. 580 for the year 2015 will also be used in measuring fishing gargoors in terms of height and length, in addition to measuring the openings of fishing nets.
He added that this device is compact and designed to provide calculations based on area, size, length and height. The ideal device is simple and user-friendly for both professionals and non-professionals, utilizing laser technology to measure the dimensions.
The Ministry will also evaluate the implementation of federal legislation on water resources in cooperation with local authorities according to the legislation and ministerial decisions for the protection of living aquatic resources such as law No. 23 for the year 1999 concerning the exploitation, protection and development of living aquatic resources in the United Arab Emirates, and executive Ministerial resolution No. 580 for the year 2015 which prohibits the fishing, selling and marketing of fingerlings.
In addition, the Ministry's External Audit Sector is also working on using new drone technology as a method of conducting aerial inspections on various stone crusher and quarrying sites, which falls in accordance with the move towards adopting best practices in governance. The move also aims at ensuring sustainability while also promoting the UAE as a leader in the adoption of modern technologies and innovation.