According to the public relations office of Iranian Fisheries Science Research Institute (IFSRI), quoting the information center of Agriculture Organization, Mahmoud Bahmani, head of IFSRI on the start of a research patrol to investigate the state of benthic stocks in the waters of Sistan and Baluchestan province Chabahar region which was described as the restart of trawling, added: “ According to its statute, IFSRI is responsible for research and study on the life of different species (both animal and plant), research and study on the amount of stocks, determining the appropriate time and place of fishing and principled and rational use of aquatics resources, research on fishing tools and vessels, introduction of the most appropriate method of their use, research on methods of reproduction and breeding of aquatic animals of fisheries value.
He stated that this institute, with more than one hundred years of research in the country, has played an important and fundamental role in the development of the country's fisheries. He also added that 35 thousand tons of fisheries products before the Islamic revolution has been reached more than 1.2 million tons today.
Dr. Bahmani declared: "One of the most important projects that has been done continuously and annually during the last thirty years is the project of studying the condition of benthic stocks in the waters of Persian Gulf and Oman Sea. Some parts of this study are introduction of new species for fishing, determining the catch seasons for economically important species, determining the amount of changes in the abundance of different species and determining the temporal and spatial prohibitions of fishing to introduce the species.
The official stressed that the results of this research patrol, as a governing activity, have brought on the stability in the catch of aquatic stocks and the stability of the jobs created in this sector during these years. Due to the high diversity of benthic aquatic species in Persian Gulf and Oman Sea , the research patrol is carried out by bottom trawling and due to the short duration of trawling (maximum one hour), there wouldn’t be any environmental damage and it also doesn’t have any commercial aspect.
It is necessary to mention that the research patrol is carried out by Ferdows 1 research vessel in fixed stations from 10 to 100 depths along the coasts of Persian Gulf and Oman Sea as follows:
1- Oman Sea waters in Sistan and Baluchestan province for a maximum of 25 days
2- The waters of Hormozgan province for a maximum of 30 days
3- The waters of Bushehr province for a maximum of 25 days
4- The waters of Khuzestan province for a maximum of 15 days