Zeinab elnagdi
04-23-2010, 01:41 PM
FISH FARMING IN THE ARAB STATES: A BOOST TO FISH PRODUCTION
Izzat H. Feidi
Current Fisheries Situation
Fish landings from marine, brackish, freshwater and from fish farming (aquaculture), provide a vital source of food, employment, recreation, trade and economic well being for people throughout the world, for both present and future generations.
Arab fish resources from the waters bordering the twenty-two Arab States and inland waters as well as from fish farming in fresh and marine waters are considered a very important sector for development. If rationally and scientifically exploited, fisheries could play a much more important role in meeting increased demand for food, and in improving the economies of several countries.
The coastlines of the Arab States total just over 23 000 km. long and a continental shelf area of about 608 000 km. sq. Inland water bodies are estimated to have an area of about 7.2 million hectares consisting of deltas, water marches, water reservoirs, lagoons, rivers, lakes, etc. Marine waters border the Arab countries from all sides: the Arab and Oman Gulfs from the east; The Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean from the south; the Mediterranean Sea from the north and the Atlantic Ocean from the west. In addition, the Red Sea and various smaller gulfs, major rivers - mainly the Nile, the Tigris and the Euphrates - the natural lakes and man-made lakes – mainly Lake Nasser in Egypt, Lake Nubia in the Sudan and Lake Assad in Syria - which constitute inland waters resources, provide the Arab States very important potential for increasing fish landings. Furthermore, the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) expands Arab marine waters to international fishing grounds to 200 miles off shore. Aquaculture, in marine and fresh water bodies, which is a relatively new fish resource potential available to several Arab States, is another source that is currently being expanded to boost local landings.
FAO estimates that fish landings by all Arab States from all sources in 2001 totaled 2.8 million tons or about 2.6 percent of world fish landings of 130.2 million tons in the same year. Contribution of fish from fish farming to Arab fish landings from both marine and freshwater has increased significantly in recent years. In 1997 the total aquaculture production from marine and freshwater sources was 98 thousand tons increasing to 170 thousand tones in 1998, followed by even a larger increase in 2000 and 2001 reaching 252 thousand tons and 366.6 thousand tons respectively or 13 percent of total landings. These landings show real progress in aquaculture in the Arab world from the 1984 production of only 22 thousand tons when only 4 Arab States were engaged in fish farming. There are now 17 Arab States engaged in fish farming in one way or another.
www.onefish.org/.../1059815277826_AWA_Aquaculture_Article___English.do c
Izzat H. Feidi
Current Fisheries Situation
Fish landings from marine, brackish, freshwater and from fish farming (aquaculture), provide a vital source of food, employment, recreation, trade and economic well being for people throughout the world, for both present and future generations.
Arab fish resources from the waters bordering the twenty-two Arab States and inland waters as well as from fish farming in fresh and marine waters are considered a very important sector for development. If rationally and scientifically exploited, fisheries could play a much more important role in meeting increased demand for food, and in improving the economies of several countries.
The coastlines of the Arab States total just over 23 000 km. long and a continental shelf area of about 608 000 km. sq. Inland water bodies are estimated to have an area of about 7.2 million hectares consisting of deltas, water marches, water reservoirs, lagoons, rivers, lakes, etc. Marine waters border the Arab countries from all sides: the Arab and Oman Gulfs from the east; The Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean from the south; the Mediterranean Sea from the north and the Atlantic Ocean from the west. In addition, the Red Sea and various smaller gulfs, major rivers - mainly the Nile, the Tigris and the Euphrates - the natural lakes and man-made lakes – mainly Lake Nasser in Egypt, Lake Nubia in the Sudan and Lake Assad in Syria - which constitute inland waters resources, provide the Arab States very important potential for increasing fish landings. Furthermore, the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) expands Arab marine waters to international fishing grounds to 200 miles off shore. Aquaculture, in marine and fresh water bodies, which is a relatively new fish resource potential available to several Arab States, is another source that is currently being expanded to boost local landings.
FAO estimates that fish landings by all Arab States from all sources in 2001 totaled 2.8 million tons or about 2.6 percent of world fish landings of 130.2 million tons in the same year. Contribution of fish from fish farming to Arab fish landings from both marine and freshwater has increased significantly in recent years. In 1997 the total aquaculture production from marine and freshwater sources was 98 thousand tons increasing to 170 thousand tones in 1998, followed by even a larger increase in 2000 and 2001 reaching 252 thousand tons and 366.6 thousand tons respectively or 13 percent of total landings. These landings show real progress in aquaculture in the Arab world from the 1984 production of only 22 thousand tons when only 4 Arab States were engaged in fish farming. There are now 17 Arab States engaged in fish farming in one way or another.
www.onefish.org/.../1059815277826_AWA_Aquaculture_Article___English.do c