ABADAN, Khuzestan Prov. - Some 30,000 tons of fish and shrimp worth Rls.150 billion are caught in the Persian Gulf waters off this southwestern province annually, said a local fisheries official Monday. At present, some 26,000 fishermen are engaged in the area using 700 launches, 1,300 boats and 15 ships within 10 cooperatives, he said. Boseif, Khour Mousa, Bahregan, Bahman Shir, Arvand, Khoriyat in the cities of Imam Khomeini Port, Hendijan, Mahshahr, Khorramshahr and Abadan are the major catch sites in Khuzestan province.

A great amount of the fish catch of the province are exported annually, said the official. According to a group of fishermen, fisheries in the province require support of state fisheries officials. They complained that the prices of fishing tools are not in proportion to prices of fish, adding that there is not enough jetty for fishermen in the area. With a coastline of 300 kms, Khuzestan is one of the major fishing centers in Iran. (IRNA)