Socio-economic and environmental assessment of marine recreational fishing in the Sultanate of Oman

Fisheries are considered one of the world’s most important natural resources as a source of food, services, products and income. The most prominent are recreational fisheries (RF) in which social, economic and environmental benefits were obtained. The Sultanate of Oman witnessed the activity of RF in the past recent decades. Due to the lack of studies and detailed information about the marine recreational fisheries (MRF) in Oman, this study aimed to assess the socio-economic and environmental aspects of MRF in Muscat Governorate. A questionnaire survey developed for this purpose was addressed in six wilayats, where 61 responses were received. Recretional fisheries is characterized by 75% fishers aged more than 30 years old, 70.7% are married, 48% hold a degree and above and 49% are government employees. Additionally, 46% of fishers reported owning no licenses, highlighting unregistered fishing activity. Around 5338.12 OMR (13852.7 USD) is spent annually for recreational activity, with more than 100 OMR per trip (259.7 USD). Recreational boat fuel, equipment and maintenance cost the highest compared with other expenses. Despite the illegal activity of 46% of the surveyed fishers, a good level of marine environmental awareness was observed, due to the legal fishing gear used besides their commitment to fishing zones. In conclusion, a comprehensive socio-economic and environmental evaluation of the whole Omani coastal line is needed to improve the data limitation. Also, a communication network is recommended to bridge the gap between the governance and management framework.