Yearbook 2010
Oman. Environmental conservation organizations paid attention during the year to shark fishing off Oman’s coast and how hard it hit several shark species, including hammer shark. According to COUNTRYAAH, Oman has a population of 4.829 million (2018). The government of Oman thought that an international effort was needed to limit catches. It is estimated that up to 70 million sharks are fished annually, mainly for the fins. Most of the shark raised outside the Arabian Peninsula was exported to China, where demand for, for example, shark fin soup had increased as income rose.
An Indian maid on her way home passed away in October at Muscat Airport after losing her passport and suffering from severe anxiety and heart problems when forced to stay at the airport for five days. The human rights organization Amnesty International demanded that the Government of Oman and the Embassy of India in Oman investigate the handling of the incident.