Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (Arab Union)

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (Arabic: وزارة البحار والسمكية wuzārat al-biḥār was-samakiyah) is a cabinet-level executive department in the Union of Arab Republics' federal government. It is primarily responsible for regulation of marine activities and resources; due to the interconnected nature of water systems, marine and related resources come under federal jurisdiction. Some of the ministry's most important areas of responsibility include: fisheries policy, management of marine pollution, conservation of aquatic life and habitats, maritime transportation regulation and navigational safety, and marine geography and geology.

The incumbent Minister of Oceans and Fisheries is Dr. Ibrahim Harrak.

Structure

The various responsibilities of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries are exercised via discrete directorates and other agencies:

• Directorate of Marine Conservation and Maritime Parks Administration: Responsible for identifying and protecting areas of potentially threatened aquatic life; sets up protected zones in which fishing and other resource extraction is prohibited, some of which are administered as national parks between the directorate and republican governments.
• Directorate of Marine Resources and Fisheries: Responsible for all marine resources including fish and other seafood, regulating the fishing industry as well as the use of territorial waters for resource extraction; regulation of the post-fishing processing and merchandising of seafood is handled by the Dietary Administration Agency (DAA) under the Ministry of Health.
• Directorate of Marine Pollution Management: Responsible for recommending and enforcing policy related to pollution of the marine environment and for spearheading major cleanup efforts such as oil spills.
• National Coast Guard: The Arab Union's own federally funded coast guard, responsible for the safety and security of maritime transportation and enforcement of maritime laws and regulations within and across all republics; also handles maritime border patrol and assists the seaborne customs & immigration operations of the "J" (Customs) Directorate.
• Marine Navigation Directorate: Responsible for charting all territorial waters of the Arab Union, both internal and external; maintains the national open-source marine charting database, which is updated daily to include developments in weather and other potential hazards.
• Marine Sciences Directorate: Responsible for all federal marine geology and related projects, including submersible research expeditions both manned and unmanned.