Muscat fishing industry

I'm in Muscat for a couple of days on business (back blipped on the plane yesterday). This picture was taken just outside the hotel I'm staying in - judging by the pots I suspect they're fishing for lobsters.

Muscat is a pleasant enough place and Omani's are probably the friendliest people in the Middle East. But it is still quite a dull place and has the worst, most sycophantic newspapers I've ever seen. I think you can tell a lot about a place by looking at the newspapers. For example, the Times of Oman has two front page headlines - the first is a piece about how there isn't much to do for teenagers entitled 'How idle delinquents pose an active threat'. The second is repeated every day and says who the Sultan has sent greetings to, or what he is up to. Today's headline states 'HM [His Majesty] sends greetings' and says how 'Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to President Barack Obama of the United States of America on the occasion of his country's Independence Day anniversary'. It went on to say how the Sultan expressed his sincere congratulations. Fascinating stuff