FI:TCP/SYR/0103 (Mi) Field Document 3 June 1983

T E C H N I C A L   C O O P E R A T I O N P R O G R A M M E

A report prepared for the
Improvement of Fisheries and
Aquaculture Production
Project

based on the work of

P.M. Lamendour
(Consultant)

This informal report is one of a series of reports prepared during the course of the project identified on the title page. The conclusions and recommendations given in the report are those considered appropriate at the time of its preparation. They may be modified in the light of further knowledge gained at subsequent stages of the project.

The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the United Nations or the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal or constitutional status of any country, territory or sea area, or concerning the delimitation of frontiers.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Rome, 1983

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This electronic document has been scanned using optical character recognition (OCR) software. FAO declines all responsibility for any discrepancies that may exist between the present document and its original printed version.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Terms of Reference

1.2 Background Information

2. MARINE FISH

2.1 Fishing

2.2 Handling, Processing and Marketing

3. FISH-FARMING

3.1 Trout

3.1.1 Zabadani

3.1.2 Sin

3.2 Carp and Tilapia

3.3 Freshwater Fisheries

3.4 Handling, Processing and Marketing

3.4.1 Trout

3.4.2 Carp and Tilapia

3.4.3 Freshwater Fish

4. SUMMARY OF OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSION

4.1 Trawlers

4.2 Trout

4.3 Carp and Tilapia

4.4 Marine Artisanal and Freshwater Fisheries

4.5 Frozen Marine Fish

5. RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Marine Fisheries

5.2 Trout

5.2.1 Sin

5.2.2 Zabadani

5.3 Carp, Tilapia and other Freshwater Fish

5.4 Frozen Marine Fish

Appendix 1: ITINERARY AND PERSON MET

Appendix 2: OFFICIAL STATISTICS ON FISH CATCHES IN SYRIA (t)

Appendix 3: OFFICIAL STATISTICS ON IMPORTATION AND EXPORTATION OF FISH AND FISHERY COMMODITIES IN SYRIA

Appendix 4: ESTIMATE OF FISH CONSUMPTION IN SYRIA IN 1981/82

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 TERMS OF REFERENCE

The Government of the Syrian Arab Republic, assisted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations through the Technical Cooperation Programme, is engaged in a project whose main purpose is to improve the national fish production generally, and in particular to increase present aquaculture production and make recommendations on fisheries management.

As part of the project operation, FAO assigned Mr P.M. Lamendour as consultant in fish conservation, storage, transport and marketing from 17 March to 16 May 1982 with the following terms of reference:

• review existing methods of fish handling, preservation, storage and distribution. Attention should be paid not only to marine fisheries, but also to freshwater production:;

• advise on ways and methods to improve the existing situation;

• prepare recommendations for further work to meet goals of fisheries development in Syria.

Appendix 1 gives itinerary and list of main persons met.

1.2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The main problem regarding marine fisheries is the extremely low national production. Demand is very high and the fish is sold very quickly, no special effort being needed to market it.

At present, carp and tilapia also have a quick sale and transport over short distances does not require any particular care.

The only fish presenting a serious problem is trout, for which the cost of production is high, and which finds few buyers although sold well below cost price.

Appendixes 2 and 3 give data on fish catches in Syria and import/export statistics.

2. MARINE FISH

2.1 FISHING

Two types of vessels are employed. There are three steel trawlers, 22 m long, belonging to the General Establishment of Fisheries (GEF). These three vessels, built in 1977, are equipped with hydraulic winches, an electric winch, a 360 hp engine, sonar and a central control. They need general maintenance and lack spare parts. They trawl over a small area, 30–50 m deep, to the south of Latakia, their home port, using trawls with a stretched mesh size of 20 mm. Each vessel has a hold of 30 m³. The annual catch of each of the three boats is about 40 t; the maximum for the three boats together was 131 t in 1980.

There are also two old wooden trawlers, with a total annual catch of about 40 t. It is planned to stop using these boats, which belong to cooperatives. Private ownership of trawlers is forbidden.

Fishing is also done by small fishermen using open wooden boats 4–6 m long fitted with fixed diesel engines. They use gillnets and hooks-and-lines. Their total annual catch is about 600 t.

Syria's total catch of marine species is estimated at 700–800 t/year.

2.2 HANDLING, PROCESSING AND MARKETING

Marine fish is sold fresh immediately after landing, or at most within two hours after the boat reaches Latakia.

The two or three large hotels in the town are first to be supplied with the best fish and the rest is very quickly sold in the streets or in small fish shops.

The fish is sorted on board and placed by species in wooden crates 40 × 60 × 10 cm, without ice. It is then taken to the market, where it is sold very quickly despite its relatively high price.

The best fish and the shrimp do not reach the market, as the fishermen have regular customers for these very expensive commodities. Almost all the marine fish is sold in the coastal region, where demand is very high and far in excess of supplies.

In June-July-August the small artisanal boats fish for sardinella with seine-nets. Three or four times a year part of the catch (8–10 t each time) does not find a buyer owing to large subsequent landings. The minimum price is $S 5/kg. This unsold fish is spread on the fields and used as fertilizer.

There is a fruit and vegetable cannery at Jeble, 25 km from the port. The factory has the equipment necessary to can the surplus fish and a cost price has been set.

Cost price of a 350 g tin of sardinella

The retail selling price of a 125 g tin of Moroccan sardines 125 g is £S 1.55.

In the inland towns - Damascus, Hama, Homs, Aleppo, etc. - frozen marine fish is on sale. According to the information collected by the GEF, the amounts imported in 1981 were 8 000–10 000 t. FAO's annual statistics indicate 6 140 t for 1979, the last year to be recorded.

The quality is mediocre because the fish is often defrozen and refrozen a number of times at the selling points.

This fish is sold in the fish shops in Damascus at a price of £S 10–12/kg.

The fish thus sold comes from West Africa and Somalia.

3. FISH-FARMING

3.1 TROUT

The GEF has two fish-farms: one on Lake Sin near the coast between Latakia and Baniyas, and the other at Zabadani, 50 km northwest of Damascus. Zabadani supplies both farms with fry.

Trout is a new species for Syria (the trout farms have only been operating for two years) and is very difficult to sell. In addition, the cost price is high compared with current prices for the better known and hence more sought-after fish.

3.1.1 Zabadani

(Staff: 19)

Production in 1981: 10–12 t of trout of commercial size; 650 000 fry, of which 450 000 were for Sin.

The farm produced 30 t of trout in 1980. The low production in 1981 was due to very high mortality among the fingerlings.

3.1.2 Sin

(Staff: 10)

3.1.2.1 Production in 1981: 70 t of trout of commercial size in 16 000 m².

3.1.2.2 Economic study of the Sin fish farm: cost price of 1 kg of trout with a unit weight of 250 g. Fry of 15–20 g unit price £S 1.5. Mortality 38%; 4 trout of 250 g to the kg

Labour

10 employees at £S 1 000 per
month produce 70 000 kg/year

Energy

Electricity and fuel for pumping

Overhead and financing costs 15% £S 3.86 (Medicines, repairs, upkeep)

The 1982 operating budget of the Sin fish farm is £S 2 million. This budget does not include salaries, which are the direct responsibility of the GEF.

The cost price of 1 kg of trout is therefore:

The margin of £S 0.66 represents 2.23%

It should be noted that the cost price includes no provision for amortization of the various installations of the fish-farm.

3.1.2.3 Refrigeration

The fish-farm premises include a building for freezing and conserving fish at very low temperature. The unit comprises:

1. A room of 90 m² with a temperature of +5°C used to prepare the fish and arrange on trays for freezing. The room is completely empty apart from the three evaporator batteries fixed to the ceiling.

2. A freezing room of 91.5 m³ (8.40 × 3.30 × 3.30 m) equipped with 2 evaporators, each with 3 fans; the room is closed by an upward-sliding door locking at the bottom. The freezing room is equipped to slow-freeze 6 t of fish at -35°C in 20 hours.

3. Two holding rooms of 137 m³ (6.55 × 6.35 × 3.3 m) each with an evaporator with 3 fans (the evaporator and fan units are the same as those in the freezing room); each room can hold 30–35 t of fish, hence the overall capacity is 60–70 t at -25°C.

   The refrigerator unit consists of: 1 compressor of 31 600 kcal/h at -45°C for freezing; 1 compressor of 30 700 kcal/h at -10°C for the preparation room; 2 compressor of 14 700 kcal/h at -30°C for the holding rooms; 2 pumps for the cooling water; a central control desk with the usual regulation devices: thermostats, electro-vanes, pressostats, etc.

   The rooms are insulated by three layers of 10 cm expanded polystyrene with overlapping joints. However, it should be noted that at the angle of the walls and the floor there is a gap of about 1 cm where water can easily infiltrate during defrosting and impair the freezing process. The various rooms have neither handling equipment nor freezing trays.

   It seems fairly difficult to use handling equipment owing to the slopes between the various rooms (19.25%, 15%, 18.5%); this makes it impossible to use the pallet loaders planned by the suppliers of the refrigerating equipment. This equipment was not included in the specifications.

3.2 CARP AND TILAPIA

Carp and tilapia are bred on fish-farms. All the farms belong to the GEF, with the exception of a few small private concerns producing a total of 150 t/year of carp.

The GEF farms are distributed as follows:

The carp and tilapia fish-farms are located as follows:

Massab El Sin

Near Baniyas, on the coast 50 km from Latakia and 130 km from Homs.

Ain Al Takha or Ain Taga

To the east of the Ghab valley - benefits also from warm water springs (18°C to 23°C)
50 km from Hama, 1 hours by road
100 km from Homs, 1 ½ hours by road (motorway from Hama to Homs)

Shatha

To the west of the Ghab valley, about 7 km from Ain Al Takha.
The distances from Homs and Hama are about the same as for Ain Al Takha.

Rouje

To the north of the Ghab valley, near Idlib, 80 km from Aleppo, 1 hour by road (60 km of motorway).

Mzayrib or M'Zeirib

100 km south of Damascus, near Deraa on the Jordanian border.

3.3 FRESHWATER FISHERIES

Fishing is carried out in artificial lakes. There are three such lakes: Assad, Qattineh and Rastan. Near Lake Qattineh an oil refinery has been set up and chemical factories are gradually polluting the lake.

By far the most important is Lake Assad, covering an area of 640 km². Construction was completed in 1975 and filling took five years. Assad is the only lake for which precise information is available, owing to the presence of a GEF station at Ath Thawra which controls the fishing.

Fishing is done by 110 open boats, 5–6 m long, with fixed diesel engines; each has a crew of two to three men. Monofilament gillnets are used, each boat carrying 2 000 m of net.

Fishing is stopped from 15 March to 30 May each year.

The boats set their nets in the evening and haul them in at daybreak.

They do not carry any ice. The fish is transported in wooden crates of the type used at Latakia for marine fish, or in plastic crates.

Statistics supplied by GEF are as follows:

The decrease in 1980 was due to the lack of nets, which it had not been possible to renew.

According to the available information, the total catch Lakes Rastan and Qattineh is estimated at 200–250 t.

3.4 HANDLING, PROCESSING AND MARKETING

The freshwater production must be divided into three categories:

1. Trout
2. Carp and tilapia fish-farms
3. Freshwater fisheries

Each of these categories has its own problems. However, all the fish except trout are very easy to sell.

3.4.1 Trout

Sin

As already mentioned, the cost price of 1 kg of trout is about £S 28. The farm gate price is £S 15–18. The production problems are as follows:

1. mortality of about 83% among the fry;
2. mortality of about 38% among the trout;
3. algae in the ponds absorbing the oxygen from the water;
4. expensive pumping of water;
5. disease and lack of its control;
6. price of imported feed

To all these problems are added the difficulties of marketing.

The trout are removed from the ponds in nets, and placed immediately into plastic crates (50 × 32 × 23 cm).

For sale to private fishmongers, the crates are loaded into an insulated lorry without ice.

There is a small ice-making machine producing about 500 kg of flake ice per day; however, since the fish is transported at night in March-April, the temperature is already sufficiently low.

In 1981 the General Establishment of Consumption (GEC) absorbed almost the entire output, which was sold in Damascus.

The farm gate price at Sin is £S 15–18/kg.

GEC transports the fish in its only refrigerated lorry to Damascus (330 km) in small amounts (300–500 kg) and sells the fish to consumers in its 13 shops at £S 15/kg (i.e., the purchase price in Sin). Yet even at this price it sells no more than 120–150 kg/day.

A retail fishmonger to whom the GEC proposed 500 kg at a special price of £S 12 agreed to this price but only for 50 kg.

Trout is difficult to sell for a number of reasons:

1. The price. Since trout is sold at £S 15/kg consumers prefer 1 kg of meat sold at £S 20 by the GEC. One kilogramme of meat served with a large helping of vegetables can feed a family for two days; not as much can be done with 1 kg of fried trout.

2. The appearance. Trout has not the typical appearance of a marine fish familiar to the consumer, and it is therefore very difficult to have it accepted.

3. Seasonal sale. Since trout are harvested only from February to April at Sin, this fish is little known and therefore not in demand.

4. Food habits. Outside the coastal plain, the population has not the habit of eating fish. Overall consumption of fish is 13 500–15 500 t/year for a population of 10 million, i.e., 1.5 kg/inhabitant/year (Appendix 4).

These factors together make for very low trout consumption in Syria. In addition, it is difficult to reduce the cost price, and even if the present cost price of £S 28/kg is halved to bring it down to the farm gate price of £S 15, this price is still too high for the consumer.

Large families are numerous and it is not very likely that they can afford to buy fish at £S 15–20/kg. (The average wage is £S 700–900/month; rent for a 2-room flat in town is about £S 500/month.)

Trout remains a luxury fish and there are wealthy customers who obtain their supplies in Zabadani but do not patronize the GEC shops.

Zabadani

Almost the whole production is sold live on site at the fish farm.

A small fish shop has been set up there, with a pond of running water. The fish is taken from this, weighed in front of the client and placed in a polythene bag. The price in April 1982 was £S 20/kg.

The rest of the production is taken in plastic crates by insulated lorry, without ice, to Damascus, where it arrives in less than an hour still fresh.

3.4.2 Carp and Tilapia

Handling and marketing are much the same as for trout.

The fish is placed in the same perforated plastic crates and transported in the GEC insulated lorries, which take the entire production. When transport takes more than 1–½ to 2 hours, the fish is covered by ice. Ice costs £S 70–100/kg and is available in all the large towns.

Sale presents no difficulties or problems.

However, more care should be exercised in handling and transporting the fish.

3.4.3 Freshwater Fish

As stated previously, freshwater fishing takes place essentially in three artificial lakes, Assad, Rastan and Qattineh, the bulk being done in Lake Assad. At Lake Assad the prices paid to the fishermen vary from £S 3 to £S 9/kg of fish, according to species. The average price is £S 5/kg.

Apart from about 100 t sold to the GEF, which puts the fish on ice and sells it on the spot at Ath Thawra together with its own fish - some 100 t caught by the GEF boats or by beach seines which other fishermen are forbidden to use - the remainder, i.e., 1 300 to 1 400 t, is bought by the fishmongers of Aleppo (2 250 000 inhabitants including the suburbs), who go to the lake with vans and transport the fish to Aleppo, about one hour's drive away. On arrival in Aleppo, they wash the fish, put it on ice and offer the expensive species for sale in their shops at £S 15–18/kg.

The cheaper fish, after being washed and put on ice, is returned to the vans, which travel round the suburbs and the neighbouring villages selling the fish at £S 5–12/kg.

Finally, the fish not sold in the fish shops during the day is taken by the vans for sale in the suburbs and villages.

Lakes Rastan and Qattineh

As these lakes are near (10/20 km) to the towns of Hama (250 000 inhabitants) and Homs (450 000 inhabitants), and the total catch is low (150/200 t/year), marketing is easy and the fishermen sell their fish to the few fishmongers in these towns, most of whose supplies consist of frozen marine fish and carp from the fish-farms. The fish is handled and transported without ice. It is washed and placed on ice in the shop. The largest fish (1 kg and over) are displayed just gutted and hung by the head from hooks. Prices are the same as in Aleppo: £S 15–18/kg.

4. SUMMARY OF OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSION

4.1 TRAWLERS

Production from marine fisheries along the Syrian coasts is very low. The trawlable grounds, already very restricted, appear completely exhausted.

The three trawlers are very expensive for GEF to operate, but their activities have to be ensured even though they are running at a loss.

4.2 TROUT

Trout breeding also constitutes a considerable loss both for the GEF and for Syria. Production costs are excessively high. Energy costs for pumping are a useless addition to already excessive expenses. The importation of eggs and feed represents a drain of currency not justified by the results.

The GEC sells at a loss a fish already produced only in small amounts to a population which practically refuses to buy it.

4.3 CARP AND TILAPIA

Problems exist with respect to production, but these can be resolved if techniques and management are organized better.

Handling and marketing are more or less satisfactory. Larger amounts of fish could be sold, either to replace part of the frozen fish or by increasing fish consumption in Syria.

4.4 MARINE ARTISANAL AND FRESHWATER FISHERIES

These fisheries are not controlled by the two state bodies, GEF and GEC, but their sales, far from creating conflicts, are a source of healthy competition.

4.5 FROZEN MARINE FISH

Importation of this product handled to date by three or four societies in Aleppo and Damascus, will become the responsibility of the GEC as the current contracts expire and the GEC would welcome assistance in drawing up new contracts.

5. RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 MARINE FISHERIES

As the catches made by the trawlers are so small, the following action should be taken:

• Examine the operating accounts of each of the trawlers working for the GEC in order to determine exactly the various items of expenditure and the receipts from fish sales

• Carry out a detailed examination of each boat to evaluate the cost of overhauling the various components (hull, engine, electronic equipment, electricity, etc.)

• Equip one of the boats to explore depths of 100–500 m to search for new trawling grounds

• Equip this boat with new fishing gear (pots, longlines) and various types of trawls in order to be able to fish both the new and the old grounds

• Train crews in the new fishing methods and in navigation

• For this purpose, set up a research and training project.

As regards handling of the fish:

• As soon as it is caught, the fish should be sorted, put in crates containing ice in a proportion of 1 kg of ice to 1 kg of fish, and placed in the hull or at least in the shade and covered with a wet canvas.

• The empty boxes should be carefully washed, brushed and disinfected.

• The fish should be transported from the boat to the selling point as quickly as possible and in an insulated lorry.

5.2 TROUT

Since trout farming is operating at such a loss, radical measures are necessary.

5.2.1 Sin

• Study the possibility of breeding alternative species requiring much lower expenditure in feed and energy for pumping

• Discontinue trout breeding

• Study the possibility of installing another fish culture centre below the Sin dam in order to eliminate the costs of pumping.

5.2.2 Zabadani

• Issue publicity material on the live trout of Zabadani (in English and French)

  1. on billboards along the road and near the fish farm

  2. in the Damascus newspapers.

• Increase production in 1983 to decrease the cost price

• Decrease the proportion of imported feed and make maximum use of the feed manufactured in Syria

• Study the Lebanese market for both fry and commercial-size trout

• Study a marketing system in Damascus with fish shops in the residential areas

• The construction of a new trout-breeding farm should not be decided until demand for trout, at a sufficiently high price, is ensured

• If the trout have to be sold and transported dead, they must fast for 48 hours before being caught and as soon as they are dead must be packed in small crates containing 5–10 kg of fish. Packing must be done in the following way: place a layer of 4–5 cm of ice on the bottom of the box; on this ice spread a thin plastic sheet¹; arrange the trout on this sheet, cover them with another plastic sheet and fill up the box with ice (the total internal depth of the box should be 18–20 cm)

• The trout should be transported in insulated lorries over short distances (2 to 3 hours) and in refrigerated lorries for longer distances

• In the shops the trout should be stored in cold chambers.

¹ The plastic sheets avoid discoloration of the trout

5.3 CARP, TILAPIA AND OTHER FRESHWATER FISH

The boats must carry ice in order to cover the fish as soon as caught and put in crates on board.

The fish must not remain in the water at the bottom of the boats, but be put into crates immediately.

The crates, loaded with fish and ice, must be covered with damp canvas and placed in the shade, if this is possible in a small boat.

On landing, more ice must be added for transport by lorry.

The use of insulated lorries is recommended.

The shops must store the iced fish in cold rooms at 0°C.

The period between fishing and consumption must be as short as possible. As for marine fish, the crates used must be carefully washed and disinfected.

5.4 FROZEN MARINE FISH

The frozen fish must be transported in such a way as to prevent the cold chain being interrupted at any point.

At the moment of selling, the minimum quantity of fish necessary should be defrosted.

The unsold defrosted fish must not be refrozen, but kept on ice in a cold room at about 0°C.

Appendix 1
ITINERARY AND MAIN PERSONS MET

Main Persons Met

Mr Joseph Chami, FAO Representative in Damascus

Mr Tawfik Hassan, Agriculturist, Member of Parliament

Mr Sliman Youssouf, Director General of the General Establishment of Fisheries (GEF)

Mr Fouad Masspoud, Director of Production of the GEF

Mr Fouad Bichara, Director of the GEF Centre in Latakia

Mr Antoine Lutfy, Director of the Meat and Fish Department of the GEF

Mr Hassan Hayek, Director of the GEF Centre in Damascus

Mr Jamil Khanji, Director of the GEF Centre at Lake Assad

Appendix 2
OFFICIAL STATISTICS ON FISH CATCHES IN SYRIA (t)

Source: FAO Yearbook of Fishery Statistics, 1980

Appendix 3
OFFICIAL STATISTICS ON IMPORTATION AND EXPORTATION
OF FISH AND FISHERY COMMODITIES IN SYRIA

Source: FAO Yearbook of Fishery Statistics, 1980

Appendix 4
ESTIMATE OF FISH CONSUMPTION IN SYRIA IN 1981/82