Fish wealth in Egypt

 

Fish wealth in Egypt

 Fish wealth in Egypt is considered one of the most important sources of national income, and it is also considered a source of safe protein that provides nutritional needs internally and develops other industries alongside it. Fisheries in Egypt occupy vast areas of more than 13 million acres, equivalent to approximately 150% of its agricultural land. These sources vary according to their nature, including the seas, such as the Red and Mediterranean Bahrain, and including lakes, which include lakes Manzala, Burullus, Bardawil, Idku, Qarun, and Mariout. The Bitter Lakes, Port Fouad Navigation, and others

Fresh water sources include the Nile River, its two branches, canals, and drains. If the previous sources were natural sources, then man created artificial ones, such as Lake Nasser and Lake Al-Rayan, in addition to the fish farms located in different parts of Egypt.

Marine fisheries

The area of ​​these fisheries exceeds 11 million acres, and includes the Red and Mediterranean Bahrain. Despite the large area they occupy, fish production in them is still low compared to their area.

The Red Sea

The fishable area in the Red Sea is 4.4 million acres, and its shores extend over a thousand kilometers, including the areas of Al-Tur and Dahab in the South Sinai Governorate, Hurghada in the Red Sea Governorate, and inside and outside the Gulf of Suez in the Suez Governorate.

Mediterranean sea

The fishable area in the Mediterranean Sea is approximately 6.8 million acres, and its coast extends over a thousand kilometers. It includes the areas of Port Said and Ezbet El-Burj in Damietta, Sayd El-Mex and Abu Qir in Alexandria, Matruh and El-Arish in North Sinai Governorate, Rasheed and El-Maadiya in Beheira, and Baltim in Kafr El-Sheikh.

Marine fisheries occupy the second place among the sources of fish production in Egypt, as Mediterranean fisheries constitute about 11% of the total fish production, and at the forefront is the area extending from east of Alexandria to Port Said, with a length of 360 km, and is characterized by the breadth of its continental shelf (16 - 72 km). While the Gulf of Suez and the Red Sea produce about 8.81% of the total production annually.

Reasons for low fish productivity in marine fisheries

The reasons for the decline in fish productivity in marine fisheries are due to several reasons:

For the Mediterranean

Poor fertility. The fertility rate in the Mediterranean Sea is half that of the ocean. It is also a closed sea and receives many pollutants from the countries bordering it.

For the Red Sea

Bad exploitation of tourist investments that exploit beach bays and lagoons to establish tourist villages whose pioneers engage in diving and fishing operations instead of using them as natural ponds for fish production. Also, the cycle of water agitation in it ends at its eastern coasts, where the shores of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Yemen are located, which reduces fishing opportunities.

From its Egyptian shores, therefore, establishing fish farms becomes the ideal solution to compensate for the increase in the population of Egypt.

Natural lake fisheries

It is considered one of the most fertile and richest lakes in the world in terms of natural food available for fish. It is also characterized by its moderate climate. Due to these good natural conditions, these lakes are considered among the most fertile and important natural lakes for important species such as mullet, topper, bream, seabass, wrasse, eel, shrimp, and others, despite the availability of natural conditions. Which ensures abundant fish production, but the production of these lakes is affected by the continuous construction on the lake and its coverage with dense plant brush of reeds and other things, in addition to water pollution factors.

Bardawil

Its area is about 165 thousand acres, with a length of 90 kilometers and a width ranging between 1 and 22 kilometers. It includes the fishing areas of Bir al-Abd and Al-Arish in North Sinai. The production rate in the lake during the year 2003 reached 3 thousand And 250 tons of fish, which is an unprecedented rate in its history

The committee responsible for developing the lake seeks to achieve the principle of quality and quality by increasing the size and quality of the European consumer’s favorite bream fish. In this context, the committee was able to purify the squid so that they can exchange currents among themselves, in addition to legalizing fishing operations in the lake and prohibiting fishing. violations,

Fishing is prohibited during the breeding period of fish in the lake for the varieties of bream, bass, mussi, grouper, mullet, and tobara in the period from the beginning of January to the end of April, which is known as the biological prevention periods, with a ban on fishing in marine protected areas inside the lake, in addition to developing concrete capes and establishing a marine hatchery to produce fish. Bream and sea bass seed to support the lake's fish stocks, with the establishment of two fish export halls, the first in the Bardawil Lake area, and the second in the port of Al-Ma'adiya in Alexandria. These halls include halls and halls to guide exporters and educate them on the optimal method for export rules.

Port Fouad navigation

It has an area of ​​about 25 thousand acres, and includes fishing areas for Port Fouad navigation in Port Said Governorate.

Bitter lakes

Its area is about 76 thousand acres, and includes the fishing areas of the Bitter Lakes and Crocodile Lake in Ismailia Governorate.

Lake Qarun

Its area is about 55 thousand acres, and it includes the fishing areas of Qarun in Fayoum Governorate. Qarun is one of the largest and most beautiful natural reserves in Egypt. The lake is characterized by ten types of fish: tilapia, plaice, mullet, tobar, bream, tarumi, shrimp, eel, and catfish. But despite all this, it is threatened by the continuation of industrial and agricultural drainage into the lake’s waters, which threatens the lake’s fish wealth, and poaching enthusiasts also pose a threat to the lake’s natural wealth.

Although Lake Qarun represents an important source of fish wealth in Egypt, it suffers from many problems that threaten its future. The most prominent of these problems is the bulldozing of the fry that are thrown into the lake at the beginning of each season, where they are caught with special nets and then sold for less. Much of its real value, it is used as food for animals, which affects the amount of fish in the lake, especially since these seedlings contain many types of fish, such as shrimp and tilapia. Also, some of these fishermen use flakes, which are fishing tools that cause the killing of thousands of fish. Shrimp fish that gather in certain places in the lake,

This is done, of course, amid a clear absence of the role of the water bodies police, which causes a large number of violations and exacerbates the problems caused by fishermen who are not licensed to fish in the lake.

Among the other most prominent problems that have affected the fish wealth in the lake is the high rates of pollution with pesticides and chemicals that pour into the lake, which is the only outlet for agricultural land drains and sewage water in the surrounding villages, which results in the beach receiving daily thousands of dead fish that have perished.

The lake's production of Nile fish, such as catfish, eels, brown, wrasse, and whiting, has decreased, due to the high rate of evaporation due to the expansion of its area, which has led to an increase in its salinity levels, making its environment closer to the marine environment. On the other hand, mullet and tobar fish have flourished in it, which transport their seed to the lake in the millions annually from collection centers. Seeds were grown in Port Said, Damietta, Suez, and Gamasa. The luxurious mullet fish from Lake Qarun became famous for their large roe. Marine moose fish also succeeded in being acclimatized. Seeds of sea bream, sea bass, and some crustaceans (shrimp) were transferred and successfully bred in Lake Qarun, and were distinguished by rapid growth and good taste

Burullus

Its area is about 136 thousand acres, and includes the Baltim fishing areas in Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate.

Status

The area of ​​the lake decreased from 700,000 acres to 323,000 acres and then to 130,000 acres. Its area now is about 100,000 acres, of which only 30,000 acres are suitable for fishing. It includes fishing areas (Al-Qobouti) in Port Said Governorate and (Ghait Al-Nasara) in Damietta Governorate. Fishermen were forced to migrate from the lake to fish in the White and Red Seas, as the lake lacked the appropriate climate for free fishing within it after large areas of it were dried out and its area decreased, and the climate therein changed in recent years, as it was hit by pollution resulting from the banks of the

Hados Sea. and Bahr al-Baqar, in addition to the increase in the proportions of water hyacinth, overfishing of small fish, and the closing of the hatches, thus preventing salt water from entering the lake and with it new types of fish, which requires the need to open and cleanse the beautiful old and new Ashtoum bogazi and the lock.

In addition to the large fishermen imposing influence and control over the free fishing operations in the lake and confronting small fishermen, the lake now produces about 70 thousand tons annually, of which 60 thousand are transported outside the home and 10 thousand tons for local consumption.

Artificial lakes

Naser Lake

Its area is about 1.2 million acres, as it is the largest body of fresh water. It includes fishing areas for the High Dam Lake in Aswan Governorate. It is also one of the largest artificial lakes in Africa, and more than 50 species of fish belonging to 15 families live there. The most important fish are the Nile tilapia, the Galilean tilapia, the samosa (white shell), the white, the raphe, the shawl, and the lees. The lake has been divided into four associations and one company.

Three fishing ports were established in Gharb, Jurf Hussein, and Abu Simbel, which receive fishing boats to supply the product to merchants. Seven fish hatcheries were also established in the areas of Sahara, Jurf Hussein, Toshka, and Abu Simbel.

Low rayyan

It includes Al-Rayyan 1 and 3 fishing areas in Fayoum Governorate.

Fresh water

It includes the Nile River, its two branches, canals, and drains, with a total area of ​​178 thousand acres.