This section describes the policy which the Mission advises the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform to adopt in order to implement the strategy outlined in Section 4. Immediate actions, dependent on availability of funds, are outlined in Section 6.
It is most unlikely that the private sector will make any effective contribution to the development of any of the culture systems included in the proposed strategic plan for aquaculture development. It will be the task of the Ministry of Agriculture to lead the way. Development and adaptive research should develop practical culture systems to the point where results are sufficient to allow both Ministers and potential fish-farmers to arrive at well informed decisions regarding the amount of investment in commercial-scale systems that would be justified, and to discern in what circumstances these decisions would be valid.
The activities of the Ministry of Agriculture in research and development in the field of aquaculture should be of direct and immediate relevance to establishing viable commercial systems. The adaptive research to be carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture should produce practical results that will allow for quantitative appraisals of economic viability. To this end, more emphasis should be placed upon development of pilot-scale activities, simulation of commercial fish-farming and, in due course and when appropriate, on carrying out experiments and investigations at commercial fish-farms.
The Mission was informed of the proposal to establish a National Oceanographic Centre, in Latakia, and visited the new large building and facilities devoted to this centre. Even if basic research should be undertaken at the universities, the Mission believes that the complete separation of such research and the research to be conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, would have definite disadvantages with respect to development: development needs to be backed up by research, and research programmes should be developed using the experience of development and extension projects. Ideally a mechanism should be found whereby it will be in the interest of basic researchers and development workers to cooperate in this field. The Mission proposes:
to establish a Joint Committee of Aquaculture, including the General Establishment of Fisheries, the National Oceanographic Centre, the University of Latakia, and other institutes or services involved in aquaculture development
to encourage applied research on local species or local strains, in the field of reproduction, nutrition, pathology, etc. This could be conducted through research contracts with the Oceanographic Centre or the University of Latakia
to implement a fish marine aquaculture station (see 5.2), very close to the new Oceanographic Centre, in order to closely link basic research, applied research and extension work.
There are many freshwater culture stations or farms now in operation, but no marine aquaculture station.
If the programme to develop the culture of marine aquaculture expands at the speed that the Mission believes possible the requirements for adapted technologies, fingerlings and skilled staff by the mid–1980s will have to be met.
On the whole, the Mission is of the opinion that in the future the GEF should spend a part of its budget on providing physical facilities required for the expansion of mariculture activities as outlined in the strategic plan for aquaculture development. The Mission expects that in implementing the plan, the GEF will find it essential to construct one marine aquaculture station on the Mediterranean coast.
During the next few years the objectives of this station should be:
to demonstrate in a short time (two years) and in a reliable way the feasibility of marine fish-farming
to obtain economic data so that the financial aspect of farming can be clearly assessed before further investment and expense
to develop adapted cultural techniques ranging from raceways to pond culture or integrated aquaculture
to train national technicians
to ensure future services to industry (provision of fry, extension services, etc.)
A cautious approach is therefore recommended, and a four-year pilot-project with two phases is proposed (see Section 6); the first phase should demonstrate the technical feasibility of marine aquaculture, the second should prepare and initiate the industrial development of aquaculture.
Due to the lack of basic knowledge on local species and environmental conditions, the lack of local experience, and the lack of trained personnel, assistance is needed for the implementation of the station (design, construction, management for the training of local personnel, and for the obtention of basic data on species (reproduction, nutrition, behaviour) and environment.
Such assistance should be provided either from external sources (bilateral or multilateral assistance) or by the scientific institutes. Therefore, it is recommended:
to locate the marine aquaculture station near a scientific institute, and specifically the Oceanographic Centre of Latakia and the University of Latakia
to propose a UNDP/FAO project (Appendix 16) to be conducted during the first two-year phase, in order to support the implementation of the station
to coordinate this project with the UNDP/FAO Regional Mediterranean Aquaculture Project (MEDRAP) in order to obtain assistance for local and external training of personnel.
A proposed initial work programme is given in Section 6. Calculations of investment and operating costs are given in Appendixes 12 and 13, and a plan of the proposed Centre in Appendix 15.
The majority of the aquaculturists now employed by the Ministry of Fisheries are stationed at the freshwater fish culture stations.
The Mission was impressed by the eagerness and sense of duty displayed by almost all those aquaculturists and fisheries officers met in Syria. However, shortage of staff will be the main restraint on the development of marine aquaculture through the execution of the proposed strategic plan. This applies to all categories of staff.
Much of the training required for most categories of staff to be employed by the Government in aquaculture schemes can best be carried out in Syria. Training should take place as far as possible on the marine fish culture station and should consist mainly in participating in ongoing activities. Only personnel who have already considerable experience and an interest in their subjects, demonstrated by achievement, should be sent overseas, and then to ongoing aquaculture enterprises.
However, during the first two or three years, a group of 2 or 3 biologists or agriculture engineers should be sent abroad for basic practical training in marine aquaculture, especially in other Mediterranean countries, for a 6–9 month period each.
The GEF does not have access to adequate expertise in the fields of marine aquaculture. The Mission recommends that priority is given to obtaining an agricultural engineer and that a career structure be given to this post so that it will be rewarding for him to remain within Government service. He should work with an experienced expatriate aquaculture engineer for two years. They should be responsible for all the construction work, design and management for the marine aquaculture station.
A course of lectures on aquaculture should be given at the Latakia University and interest encouraged by research contracts or scholarships in order to familiarize one or more senior biologists in aquaculture; and he/they should be available to the station on request for an agreed minimum number of days in a year for work relating to aquaculture.
As mentioned above, the Mission recommends that workers be trained at the Latakia station under the proposed international technical assistance project. During the 2–year project, 8 workers would be trained. Training would be provided in: production, growing-out and stocking of fry and fingerlings, fish handling, feed production, etc. Training in pond culture of marine fish would be given as commercially rewarding systems are developed.
Training of marine aquaculture extension workers would have to await the outcome of preliminary work intended to develop suitable culture systems.
It seems likely that in Syria only small portions of the land areas adjacent to the sea are ideally suited for construction of marine water ponds. The Mission's proposed aquaculture development strategy identifies shrimp culture, mullet culture and polyculture as the preferred use of such land. In order to limit speculation in these areas, and to ensure that a reasonable portion becomes available for aquaculture, the Mission recommends that:
the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform undertake a survey of lands suitable for marine-water pond construction;
a regulation be enforced that any sale, or lease of land in this area should have the approval of the local Government agent and should carry an obligation for its use, under penalty of expropriation;
Government land, designated as sites for marine-water ponds, be made acceptable as security for bank loans by long-term lease.
