892 tonnes of lobster exported in 2022

892 tonnes of lobster exported in 2022

Muscat – Oman has exported 892 tonnes of lobster during the lobster fishing season last year, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources (MAFWR) stated.

Lobsters are mostly caught in the governorates of Dhofar, Al Wusta and South Sharqiyah. The lobster fishing season this year began in the first week of March and will end on May 30.

MAFWR statistics show that a total of 1,101 tonnes of lobster – worth RO6.4mn – were caught in Oman in 2022, of which 209 tonnes were domestically consumed and 892 tonnes exported.

Four species of lobsters were documented in Omani waters, two of which are commonly found – the scalloped spiny lobster (Panulirus homarus) is found in abundance mostly in the Arabian Sea and exploited commercially, while the smaller painted spiny lobster (Panulirus versicolor) is found mainly in the Sea of Oman off the coasts of Muscat and Musandam governorates.

The Palinustus waguensis belongs to the genus Palinustus, which is represented by five species – P truncatus A Milne Edwards, restricted to the western Atlantic; P mossambicus Barnard, found in the eastern coast of Africa; P waguensis Kubo and P unicornutus Berry, which are widely distributed in the Indo West Pacific; and P holthuisi which