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. Ferlin as consultant in marine aquaculture from 6 to 17 June 1982.
Mr Ferlin had also participated in the preparation of the TCP project during an earlier visit to Syria in May–June 1981.
The Syrian fishery is composed of three elements: coastal sea fisheries, inland fisheries and fish farms.
1.2.1.1 Marine fisheries
Fishing along the narrow coastal strip dates from ancient times, and during the last 10 or 15 years, production has been relatively stable around 1 000 t/year.
The marine fleet consists of 350 feluccas (open vessels of 4–6 m in length) and 6 trawlers. Three of the trawlers are operated by the Branch of Marine Fisheries of the General Establishment of Fisheries (GEF); they are relatively new (1976), and are also capable of purse-seining. They supplied 112 t in 1980 (1979–80 season) and 130 t in 1981 (1980–81). The three other trawlers are very old and are operated by cooperative or part company workers. They supplied less than 50 t in 1981. The present project is to stop the use of the three old trawlers.
The total length of the Syrian coastline is 183 km; however only 40 km are trawlable, between Latakia and Baniyas, at a distance of 2–3 mi from the coast. Trawling is forbidden along the coast for 3 ½ months (15 May-1 September). The feluccas fish all along the coast; the main gears used are gillnets, cast nets, dip nets and lamparas.
The main species produced are demersal percomorphs, Sardinella, red mullet, and Sparidae (see Table 1). Statistics are difficult to obtain (except for GEF's production) because of the individualism of the small-scale fishermen. The fish are usually sold at the Latakia, Jeble, Baniyas and Tartous markets. The present production is estimated at 1 000 t, but this does not include direct landings from foreign ports (mostly in Lebanon). This production has been relatively stable over the past 10 years (see Table 2).
To date there has been no mariculture research or development.
1.2.1.2 Inland natural water fisheries
Inland fisheries also date from ancient times, but production was limited until the late 1970s. With the implementation of Lake Assad and other dams which created large freshwater areas, production has greatly increased, from 250 t in 1970 to more than 2-500 t in 1980. The main production comes from GEF landings, which accounted for 60 percent of the total production (see Table 3). The main catches come from Lake Assad (1 150 t) and Lake Qattineh (650 t). The main obstacles, at present, are the lack of data on fish population, productivity, gears, etc. On Lake Assad, a serious problem is that the fish population consists primarily of small cyprinids, which are not used as food fishes. Lack of trained people in this field is the principal restraint on the expansion of this fisheries sector.
1.2.1.3 Fish-farming
Fish-farming dates only from 1964. There are two types of farms: warmwater farms, producing carps and tilapias, and trout farms.
Carp, grass-carp and tilapia polyculture: there are 5 state farms which produce about 750 t, and there are an increasing number of private farms. Syria is well endowed with suitable land and water for such activities, and development prospects look promising. Production must be improved at different levels: construction and general management; fry production; food production; preservation; processing and marketing. Mullet culture has also been experimented (mono and polyculture): however, further work (and technical assistance) is needed on fingerlings, stock assessment, methods of catching fry, etc.
Trout farming: trout production is a relatively new activity, and supplied only 100 t in 1981. The major problems include: lack of basic data on water quality, temperature, oxygen content; very poor construction of facilities - too much concrete on pond bottoms, poor raceway construction, errors in the construction of inlet and outlet channels; lack of knowledge on stock management, water management; poor quality of food, especially for fry and fingerlings.
When solutions are found, it is estimated the production of fish on present farms can be increased to 3 500 t from the present level of 750 t.
1.2.1.4 Economic role of fish and the fishing industry
The impact of fishing on the Syrian industry as a whole has until now been negligible; it represented less than 0.4 per thousand of the GNP. In spite of imports, Syria was the lowest consumer of fish in the Mediterranean region (less than 1.5 kg/caput/year). Imports have increased greatly, and consumption appears to have doubled in 1980 (to between 3 and 4 kg). The price also continues to increase; in 1977 carp cost £ 3/kg1 and this increased to £ 9/kg in 1981. Similarly for trout the price rose from £ 13/kg in 1977 to £ 17/kg in 1981. Fish is now a readily accepted part of the diet everywhere in Syria: however, local production, processing and marketing techniques need developing further.
1 US$ 1.00 = Syrian pounds 3.90 (July 1977)
The Government has now granted a high priority to the increase of fish production, mostly from inland waters. This development will take place over the next Plan period. The project concerns:
Marine Fisheries:
extension of the utilization of the 3 GEF trawlers (bottom trawling in international waters, development of purse-seining, and pelagic trawling) in order to increase their profitability
development of coastal resources management: research in resources, statistics, new gear, etc.
Inland Fisheries:
improvement of the present lake production
utilization of new lakes and reservoirs
development of better marketing or processing services
introduction of new or selected species
Freshwater Aquaculture:
improvement of general fish-farming management
improvement of seed production
development of polyculture, especially by the introduction of mullet and Tilapia nilotica
improvement of fish-feed production, especially for fry and fingerlings
development of preserving, processing, and marketing services owing to the increase in production
Marine Aquaculture:
development of marine fish-farming
Concerning aquaculture, the objective is to increase the present production (729 t in 1979) to 1 845 t in 1985, a part of this production coming from marine aquaculture. However, the Plan is not explicit as to how this increase will be achieved.
During the last four years, various opinions were expressed on the development of marine aquaculture, but due to the lack of technical and economic background information, no programme or project was presented. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform invited FAO, through its Technical Cooperation Programme, to undertake a review of marine aquaculture development possibilities in Syria together with other aspects of fisheries or aquaculture development.
The Mission's task was to prepare a strategic plan for marine aquaculture development, to identify a policy framework and to propose initial activities for its implementation.
The Mission identified species and culture systems which a priori seemed technically and economically viable, and selected those which could be included in a plan for marine aquaculture development. The Mission developed a policy through which the Ministry of Agriculture could implement such a plan, and outlined the actions that the Ministry of Agriculture should take during the next two or three years, to initiate development of the culture systems comprising the plan.
The Mission spent 18 days, in May–June 1981, and June 1982, in Syria. It visited several active inland fish culture stations, and a number of coastal sites, between the Lebanese and the Turkish borders, to appraise potential for culture activities. Discussions were held with Government officials, and with others engaged in aquaculture activities (see Appendix 1).
The Mission's itinerary and programme is given in Appendix 2. Literature, both published and unpublished, related to aquaculture and fisheries in Syria was reviewed in Tunis, Rome and Syria (see Appendix 3).
The Mission's findings and recommendations were reviewed with officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, of the GEF, of the State Plan Commission, UNDP and FAO. Agreement in principle was reached on the scope and content of a technical assistance project intended to initiate and promote culture of marine fish in Syria. The Mission's proposals were forwarded in draft form by FAO to the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic.
