Although UAE's oil and gas wealth has created one of the highest per capita GDPs in the world, the government is looking to fisheries to create employment opportunities. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) I ministry of agriculture & fisheries recently stopped issuing new licences for fishing boats as part, of efforts to protect the country's fishing industry for local fishermen. Following a 12.5 per cent decline in the nation's fishing catch in 2002 which coincided with a 34 per cent increase in the registered fishermen's population and a 13 per cent rise in registered fishing boat numbers the same year, the government suspended the issuing of new fishing boat licenses in July 2003 to ease pressure on the UAE's marine fishery resources. In 2002, the UAE fishing fleet landed a total catch estimated at 97,500 tonnes by the ministry of agriculture & fisheries, compared with 112,500t the previous year. The annual catch appears to have passed its peak, having fallen from 114,700t of fish in 1998. While the UAE continues to be self-sufficient in fishery resources, the government is concerned to ensure the fishing industry's long-term sustainability due to the importance of fishing as a traditional artisanal industry.
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