FAO Report TA 2448 to the Government of Jordan on inland fisheries development and fish culture (1967), based on the work of Mr. K.M. Apostolski, inland fishery biologist, gives a detailed account of the inland fishery resources of Jordan and possibilities for their development. This account fully represents the present position also except that, owing to the prevailing political situation in the region, development in some areas would not be possible.
While the inland fishery resources in Jordan are indeed limited and the present production of freshwater fish meagre, there are certain resources which can immediately be harnessed for producing appreciable quantities of fresh fish, provided technical expertise is available for ensuring production of adequate quantities of cheap fish feed and for proper management of the resources. Amongst these, the large perennial freshwater springs like those at Shishan and Druze at Azraq, Haditha, Maghara and Serah in the Karak area, and Sukhneh in Zarka area may be specially mentioned, as in the course of these, a series of small cement tanks with rapidly flowing water can be constructed to support intensive cultivation of carp by heavy artificial feeding. Perennial springs, even with limited flow of water can be harnessed for such intensive fish cultivation. Similarly, the Ghor canal in the Jordan valley which distributes water to farmers' plots through numerous sluice-controlled channels, can be the basic source for a major culture fishery activity, if at convenient points along the distributaries small cement tanks, about 1 m deeper than the channel itself, are constructed and suitably screened for rearing fish.
The Shishan and Druze springs at Azraq, being situated at the lowest point of a natural depression, have limited drainage possibilities and are consequently of limited value for agricultural irrigation, particularly since the soil in the area is also saline. The present annual surplus flow of water from these springs amounts to over 24 million m3 of water, and by continued stagnation this has produced two extensive local swamps which now support a meagre natural fishery of two or three species of tilapia, a species of carp (Barbus sp, locally called Gishre) and a species of catfish (Clarias sp, locally known as Balbooth). This is a valuable natural resource which is at present ill-utilized. If even a portion of these swamps is reclaimed into a well-planned, large commercial fish farm, an annual yield of at least 200 t of prime quality freshwater fish can be raised at Azraq. Similar swamps are available in the Karak area also.
Three small irrigation reservoirs have been constructed since 1966, viz. Ziglab, Shueib and Kafrein. They have a total storage capacity of 10.6 million m3 of water, the depth of water in the impoundments ranging from 30 to 48 m. The average water spread area will be about 100 ha. The Zarka dam, the construction of which is expected to be completed in 1974, will have an additional capacity of 52 million m3 of water. There is hardly any fishery in these waters at present and it should be comparatively easy to introduce suitable combinations of selected species of fish in these reservoirs and produce a valuable harvest by proper scientific manipulation of the aquatic environment.
Thus, the major resources which would be amenable for rapid and dependable utilization are a) perennial spring flows, diverted into a series of small cement tanks, for intensive cultivation of carp in running water, b) underutilized spring waters, stagnating into swamps, to be reclaimed into natural ponds for production of fish, largely under influence of aquatic manuring, and c) irrigation reservoirs, by stocking them with selected combinations of fish to yield optimum harvest under influence of aquatic manuring and environmental management.
