Oman and the Indian Ocean Rim (IOR) group, on November 15th, 2011, signed an agreement to set up the Fisheries Support Unit (FSU) center in Muscat.

On behalf of the government of Oman, Dr Hamed bin Said Al Oufy, under secretary of Fisheries Wealth at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, signed the pact while Talib bin Miran Al Raissy, chief of economic affairs, represented IOR at the signing ceremony. The headquarters of the FSU will be in Muscat and it will be based in the coastal town of Al Bustan. Presently, the activities of the FSU will be conducted at the Marine Science and Fisheries Center.

“This is a very important step and we are honoured that IOR has chosen Oman as the headquarters of the FSU. It is a recognition of the efforts of Oman in its quest to break new ground in marine biology,” Dr Lubna Humoud Al Kharousy, director of Marine Science and Fisheries Centre, told Times of Oman.

Oman is attending a meeting of IOR states in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru. Dr Kharousy said that the objectives of FSU are to conduct research and carry out scientific studies aimed at protecting and conserving fish resources within the region of IOR.