After the expiration of its annual nine-month shrimp-fishing ban, Oman's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Water Resources recently greenlit this year’s shrimp-fishing season.
The Middle Eastern nation bans shrimp fishing off its coast from the beginning of December until the end of August the following year, prohibiting any form of fishing, possession, trading, buying, selling, transporting, storing, exporting, or freezing of wild shrimp during that time to ensure the health of the stock. The three-month season allowed each year also carries strict government-sanctioned regulations such as gear restrictions and data collection requirements, aiming to reduce potential ecological impacts and properly conserve the resource.
Non-compliance to shrimp-fishing season regulations could result in such penalties as fines of up to OMR 5,000 (USD 13,000, EUR 11,600), jail terms of up to 90 days, withdrawal of fishing licenses, and the confiscation of illegal catch and equipment.
While wild capture operations in Oman still haul in several hundred metric tons (MT) of shrimp every year, aquaculture production has begun to dominate output of shrimp in the country.
Official statistics estimated Oman’s total shrimp production last year amounted to 6,321 metric tons valued at OMR 14.15 million (USD 36.7 million, EUR 32.7 million), with aquaculture accounting for more than 84 percent of that total.
Shrimp aquaculture has underpinned overall aquaculture growth in the country. According to data from the Oman Department of Aquaculture Development, aquaculture output reached 9,240 metric tons (MT) in 2025, mostly comprising whiteleg shrimp production and marking growth of 67.7 percent compared to 2024 totals.
That growth is set to continue as several projects in the space are underway.
For instance, the first phase of a OMR 5 million (USD 13 million, EUR 11.6 million) farming project is 80 percent complete, with the government anticipating 1,320 MT of whiteleg shrimp production.
The Blue Aqua Gulf project is being developed by Blue Aqua International through its subsidiary Blue Aqua Singapore. Besides shrimp production, it is also expected to produce 3,000 MT of rainbow trout and 30,000 MT of aquafeed annually to boost Oman’s aquaculture industry as a whole.
