Egypt’s commercial fishing industry is struggling to save its existence as the stocks of fish are fast declining. The industry relies on imports and minimal investment. It is said that overfishing is the main reason behind the declining of the stocks. There is no doubt that the problem varies from one place to another and is more pronounced for certain types of fish like tuna and sardines, the over-exploitation of fish in any location affects the ecosystem of fisheries across the globe.
According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 52 percent of world fisheries are fully-exploited, any more fishing in those areas would severely damage the ecosystem. It is told that the main reason behind the overfishing is the size of the world’s fishing fleet, which at four million vessels is two to three times as big as required.
Saleh Ismaeil, Red Sea regional director at the Egyptian Agency for Developing Fishing Resources (EADFR), regrets the opportunity Egypt missed to protect its seas earlier. Ismaeil opined that overfishing affected the natural fisheries remarkably and it is necessary to impose the off-season period.
It is fact the Egypt is facing a remarkable decline in fish production from its natural fisheries as a result of overfishing during the last decade. As a result, many fishermen are turning away from the sea. Record shows that the Red Sea’s fish production decreased from 82,400 tons per annum (TPA) in 1999 to 46,940 TPA in 2006. The Mediterranean saw substantial declines as well; production went from 89,943 TPA to 72,666 TPA over the same period.
