The Algerian authorities have defined two areas for coral harvesting under a 2016-2020 management plan announced last week.
The eastern area extends across Annaba and El-Kala as far as the Tunisian border while the western area includes the provinces of Skikda and Jijel, according to details provided by executives at the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fishing during a national workshop on plans to reopen coral harvesting.
A maximum quota of 3000kg is to be set for each area with harvesting licenses to be allocated to sixty dealers, each of whom can harvest not more than 100kg of coral. Contracts are expected to be awarded next month.
The workshop was organised to present the resumption of coral harvesting, and the enable both industry and government departments to be prepared for exploitation of coral grounds to begin.
According to the decrees published in the Official Journal, in August 2015, coral fishing is open throughout the year for a maximum of five years, after which the exploitation areas are closed and left to lie fallow for a minimum of twenty years.
