MALE: Discussions are underway between the Maldives and China to install devices on fish aggregating devices (FADs) placed in the ocean to collect chemical and physical information of the sea in addition to detecting fish movements in the Indian Ocean, a media report said Friday.
The development comes more than a year after a Chinese research vessel, Xiang Yang Hong 03, travelled and docked in Maldivian waters for about a month starting from January 2024, much to the chagrin of Indian authorities.
On Friday, news portal RaajjeMV said: “At a time when the Maldivian fishing industry has reached an all-time low, Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources Ahmed Shiyam has met with a senior team from China’s Second Institute of Oceanography.”