H.E. Dr. Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahad, the UAE Minister of Environment and Water, met UAE’s fishermen at the Ministry’s Headquarters in Dubai to discuss opportunities for collaboration and communication between the two parties in order to develop and regulate fishing and achieve their demands. The Ministry was represented by H.E. Sultan Abdullah Alwan, Acting Undersecretary of Water Resources and Conservation of Environment, Salah Al Raeesi, Department Manager of Fish Resources, and Dr. Ibrahim Al Jamali, Department Manager of Marine Environment Research.

The meeting is one of several organized by the Ministry with the fishermen, to support the profession of fishing and preserve fish resources in order to enhance sustainability of water resources. It is the most important strategic goals for the Ministry and an essential element to manifest the UAE Vision 2021.

Dr. Bin Fahad welcomed the fishermen, assuring that the Ministry is keen to support them and seeks to preserve and nurture the UAE’s fish resources. He said that the unifying efforts and collaboration between the Ministry and fishermen will help to preserve and sustain these resources, thereby achieving the Ministry's vision of building a sustainable environment and enhancement of this profession. Fishermen expressed their appreciation and gratitude for the Ministry's efforts in regulating fishing and providing the best solutions to preserve the profession of fishing, especially the Cabinet resolution on exemption of fishermen from service fees.

The meeting also enabled fishermen to express their opinions on how to increase the level of services provided to them. They also talked about regulating fishing by implementing procedures and measurements that comply with the public interest. The fishermen also called for insuring the safety of these resources for the future generations, which will be benefited by food security and water resources along with preserving the biological diversity in the UAE’s marine environment.