According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MoAF) the catch this year has been phenomenal with fishermen amassing a fortune.

'Some shrimp landing sites in the coastal villages of the governorates of South Sharqiyah and Al Wusta saw record catch which could effectively result in this year's haul to be the largest in the last few years. The record catch also resulted in the availability of shrimp in local markets in abundance' said the ministry in a statement.

Eng Salim bin Sultan al Araimi from the Fisheries Development Department at Jaalan Bani Bu Ali said that there were positive indicators for a good season from the start. 'The shrimp fishing season in the coastal areas has brought about an encouraging economic boost where the landings have improved over the previous years.'

The ministry further said that this year also saw lower number of violations which was due to the well-planned awareness drive by its control and licensing department. Various lectures seminars and meetings on shrimp fishing regulations were organised by the ministry for fishermen.

The three-month shrimp fishing season began on September 1. It was first introduced in 2013 to arrest the dwindling stocks of shrimp and prevent their exploitation. Before that shrimp fishing season extended over seven months from September to March.

Shrimp fishery is one of the most important commercial resources in Oman and greatly contributes to the economy. As many as 12 varieties of shrimps are found in Omani waters.

The sultanate's total shrimp production in 2014 from artisanal fishing and aquaculture stood at 1416 tonnes while it was 1090 tonnes in 2013 and 907 tonnes in 2012. Of the total catch in 2014 94 per cent was registered in Al Wusta while another four per cent was recorded in South Sharqiyah.