Saudi Arabia has banned fishing of lobsters following a sharp decline in their number, telling fishermen to get their lobster needs from neighbouring Oman, Aljazirah Arabic language daily reported on Sunday.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries enforced the three-year ban from August 1 and warned local fishermen that it would not tolerate any violations.

“The decision to ban lobster fishing is intended to save this wealth in our waters and to evaluate its real size and how to better utilize it,” the paper quoted Saad al Fayyad, the Ministry’s Undersecretary, as saying.

Another official said the fishermen would be allowed to hunt for lobsters during fishing seasons to be set by the Ministry.

“Otherwise, fishing lobsters is now considered a serious offence and those caught violating this rule will be heavily fined,” said Abdullah al Zahrani, Director of the Ministry’s Fish wealth in the Eastern port of Jubail.

Fisherman Society deputy chairman in the Eastern region, Jaafar Al Safwani, said the lobster wealth in Saudi Arabia’s water had largely dwindled because of what he described as “random and illegal” fishing practices.

“We urge all fishermen not to catch lobsters to give them a chance to breed and mushroom again…for the time being, we can get our needs from Oman.”

Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, is one of the largest Arab fish producers, with an estimated output of around 95,000 tonnes last year. Oman’s production stood at 148,000 tonnes, according to official data.