Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company Limited (MIFCO) has decided to place a temporary control on the purchase of fish to five tonnes per vessel per day in its southern collection centres.
MIFCO stated a temporary control is being placed as fishing vessels in the southern atolls are currently catching a large number of fish every day and the company's facilities do not have enough freezing capacity to cater to all fish caught by vessels. MIFCO revealed an average of 12 tonnes are being caught per vessel on a daily basis, with some large vessels catching as much as 25-60 tonnes per day. MIFCO noted daily totals reaching its southern centres are reaching 600-700 tonnes per day, while freezing capacity in southern centres is only 420 tonnes per day.
MIFCO said the control of five tonnes per vessel per day will be in effect starting from April 6. However, the company said all vessels that have currently been issued a queue number will be able to sell their catch without any control.
MIFCO’s fish purchasing operations in the south are carried out through the Kooddoo Fisheries Complex and Addu Fisheries Complex. The company has launched projects to increase the capacity of its facilities and expand its operations.