Country review: Jordan

Gary Morgan
FAO Consultant, Fishery Policy and Planning Division, Fisheries Department
August 2004

INTRODUCTION

Jordan is almost entirely land-locked and only has a small (27 km) marine coast to the Red Sea, centered on the port of Aqaba. All marine landings in Jordan are made into this port. With a very small marine fishing industry and a declining freshwater fishing industry, Jordan is almost totally dependent on imports to meet its fish requirements (imports accounted for 98 percent of fish supply in 2001), although aquaculture production has been increasing in recent years and now accounts for around 50 percent of national fish production.

The marine fishing industry in Jordan is small and the fishery is entirely artisanal in nature, consisting of approximately 85 fishermen and 40 boats. Total catch in 2001 was 170 tonnes compared with catches from 1995 of 75 mt, and 45 mt recorded for 1993. A maximum recorded marine catch of 194 mt was taken in 1966. Of the catch in 2001 of 170 tonnes, about 65 percent were tuna with the increase in landings in recent years being almost solely attributable to increases in these tuna landings.

There are no cold storage facilities and catches are sold fresh upon landing, mainly to hotels and restaurants. Recreational SCUBA divers are reported to collect a small number of aquarium fish, but no indications of volume are available.

In addition to the marine catch, freshwater catches from the Dead Sea, bordered by Israel, Jordan and territory under the control of the Palestinian Authority, totaled about 350 tonnes in 2001, of which an unknown (but probably small) amount was landed in Jordan. The sea is supplied by the River Jordan, but Israel and Jordan divert 90 percent of the flow for agricultural purposes.

In addition to significant coral reefs, extensive seagrass beds occur along the Jordanian coast, particularly in the north and at Big Bay in the south. These areas appear to be important nursery areas for commercial fish species such as rabbitfishes, goatfishes, and parrotfish and may have regional, as well as local, significance in this regard.

Although fisheries legislation has been in place (and essentially unchanged) since 1943, there is no designated authority in Jordan responsible for fisheries management. The Ministry of Agriculture, however, has broad regulatory powers in the field of commercial fishing in the Territorial Waters of Jordan and, through the Agricultural Code of 1973 (Part IV, Articles 180-186, on Aquatic Resources) administers the licensing of fishermen and vessels, the prohibition on the use of explosives or other harmful fishing methods and the damaging or taking of coral. In addition, the Aqaba Regional Authority (ARA) has broad powers to control activities within Aqaba^[323], including the inshore territorial waters in the Gulf of Aqaba. These powers encompass marine environmental protection and dispute resolution between fishing and other interests.

Jordan’s prime concern for its marine areas is one of overall marine environmental protection (particularly of the coral reef areas in the Gulf of Aqaba) and the small marine fisheries and fisheries resources are generally administered within this broader context.

POLICY FRAMEWORK

There is no designated authority in Jordan for fisheries management and, accordingly, the development of fisheries management policy has not occurred to any great extent. Fisheries are administered by the Ministry of Agriculture with this administration being restricted to licensing of fishermen and fishing vessels and simple regulations such as the prohibition of explosives for fishing.

The administration of the small marine fisheries industry of Jordan is undertaken within the broader context of marine environmental management. In particular, Jordan is active in protecting its coral reef areas (which form the basis of a thriving tourist and recreational fishing industry) and therefore restricts commercial fishing activities and harmful fishing methods in these coral reef areas.

Because of the small size of the marine territorial waters of Jordan, it is inevitable that many stocks are shared with neighboring countries, particularly Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Jordan and Egypt have a bilateral agreement for co-operation in fisheries management. In addition, regional co-operation in fisheries and marine environmental management between Jordan and Israel is achieved through the Comprehensive Fisheries-Ecosystem (CoFE) Management Program of the Red Sea Marine Peace Park Co-operative Research, Monitoring and Management Program (RSMMP Program).

The CoFE program is designed to focus on bi-national management (between Jordan and Israel) of the transboundary fisheries to relieve current pressures on fragile coral reef fisheries by transferring sustainable commercial fisheries into deeper waters. Under this program, commercial fishing activities have been encouraged to concentrate on deeper water resources such as tuna and this refocus has resulted in increases in tuna landings over the past few years to the point where these landings now comprise over 65 percent of total marine landings.

International fisheries issues are the responsibility of either the Council of Ministers directly or the Ministry of Agriculture. Jordan ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1995 but has not ratified the UN Fish Stocks Agreement or the FAO Compliance Agreement.

LEGAL FRAMEWORK

The basic fisheries law in Jordan is the Law on the Organisation of Fishing (Law number 25 of 1943) which replaced old Ottoman Laws. Subsequently, specific regulations were developed as follows: Fishing Regulation No. 1 of 1944 and Regulation implementing the Fishing Law (No. 249 of 1945). Article 2 of the Regulations gives a definition of “Transjordan” waters although this has been modified to a minor extent by the provisions of the UN Law of the Sea following Jordan’s ratification of UNCLOS in 1995. This includes that part of the sea which is contiguous to the coast of Jordan and lies within a distance of three nautical miles from the low-water line. The provisions of the Fishing Law Regulations apply to commercial fishing in marine waters only (Art. 3). Articles 4 to 6 deal with fees for licenses for catch. Article 7 prohibits the use of explosives in marine and freshwater. Powers of enforcement of public officials are specified in Article 8. The Council of Ministers shall regulate all matters listed in Article 9. The remaining articles provide for fines and offences (17 articles).

As noted above, the basic Fisheries Law does not allocate responsibility for fisheries management to any organization, apart from the Council of Ministers. However, in accordance with more general marine environmental management in Jordan, the Agricultural Law No. 20 of 1973 (Part IV, Articles 180-186, on Aquatic Resources) provides for broad regulatory powers of the Minister of Agriculture in the field of commercial fishing in the Territorial Waters of Jordan. The Law prohibits the following: fishing without authorization (Art. 182); use of explosives or other harmful fishing methods and the damaging or taking of coral (Art. 183).

In 1995, Jordan introduced the Law No. 12 on Environmental Protection. This Law, among other provisions, bans the destruction or removal of coral or shellfish from the Gulf of Aqaba. Article 25 of this Law also specifies fines and prison terms for violators.

STATUS OF THE FISHERIES

The small commercial fishing fleet, based in Aqaba, uses shallow-water (5 to 15 meter) baited cage traps, hand-drawn gill and seine nets, and handlines with baited hooks and lures to take both reef fish and pelagic species. As Jordanian fishing vessels are barred from operating outside Jordan’s confined territorial waters^[324], the local fishing fleet consists entirely of small outboard motor boats, approximately five meters in length. With marked reductions in the abundance and diversity of coral-dwelling fish, observed in recent years, have been partially attributed to current fishing practices (PERSGA, 2001).

Total landings and the number of fishermen in Jordan’s marine fisheries have remained static since about 1998, after landings had increased from around 90 tonnes to 170 tonnes as a result of increased catches of tuna in deeper waters. However, no assessment of the stocks of commercial demersal or pelagic fish has been undertaken in Jordanian waters and the status of most stocks remains uncertain. Such assessments would, in any case, be difficult without taking into account the almost certain extended range of Jordanian commercial fish into the waters of neighboring countries.

Major commercial fish species (including grouper and tuna species) are thought to be over-exploited in neighboring countries, particularly in Saudi Arabia and Egypt and it is likely that this impacts the stocks in Jordanian waters. As a result, fish stocks in Jordanian waters probably have limited development prospects and are also threatened by increasing environmental concerns, particularly relating to the fishing activities in coral reef and seagrass nursery areas.

Despite the lack of comprehensive stock assessments of the major species, the generally accepted view is that the pelagic and particularly the demersal finfish resources in Jordanian waters are already intensely exploited.

Increasing recreational fishing and environmental issues such as increased shipping into Aqaba are also emerging as significant issues in Jordan’s marine fisheries.

Detailed statistics on catches and fishing capacity are not collected to enable stock assessment studies to be undertaken. Also, research that is undertaken on marine fisheries is rarely directly focused on management issues but is more often designed to provide background biological information on the marine species in general. The Marine Science Station of Jordan University carries out marine and fisheries research, with research programs being focused on the biology of commercial species, marine ecosystem studies (particularly coral reef and seagrass bed studies) and aquaculture.

MANAGEMENT ACTIVITY

There are no stated national objectives or goals regarding management of any of Jordan’s fisheries and no management plans exist for any of the country’s fisheries. In addition, there is minimal enforcement of the few regulations that do exist so that, in essence, the marine fisheries of Jordan are not managed in any meaningful way.

The only management requirements currently in force in Jordan’s marine fisheries are:

• A prohibition on the use of explosives for fishing.

• A requirement that all fishermen be licensed and pay not only an annual license fee but also a levy on the quantity and type of fish product landed.

Any stakeholder participation in the development of fisheries policy and management measures is through traditional discussions, often directly with the local senior representative of the Ministry of Agriculture.

COSTS AND REVENUES OF FISHERIES MANAGEMENT

Since there is no single organization with responsibility for fisheries management, no separate data is available within the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture or elsewhere on the costs that are directly attributable to fisheries management issues. However, these costs are minimal. Any enforcement that is undertaken is done by the Jordanian Police and, again, no separate data are available on these costs.

IMPLEMENTATION OF GLOBAL FISHERIES MANDATES AND INITIATIVES

Jordan ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1995 but has not ratified the UN Fish Stocks Agreement or the UN Compliance Agreement.

Issues such as the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries have not been incorporated into national legislation and have not been considered as part of national fisheries regulations.

The implementation of the provisions of International Plans of Action related to managing fishing capacity, IUU fishing, shark management and seabird bycatch in longline fisheries has not been pursued. As a result, no national plans of action for any of these issues are incorporated into national legislation.

PARTICIPATION IN REGIONAL FISHERY BODIES

Jordan has bilateral marine environment and fisheries agreements with Egypt and Israel but does not participate in any specific regional fisheries body.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

The landings from the marine fisheries of Jordan are minimal and, in 2001, amounted to around 170 tonnes, taken by about 40 small artisanal vessels fishing in the Gulf of Aqaba. The majority of this catch (more than 65 percent) was tuna with the remainder being demersal reef fish, taken mainly by line fishing. The marine fishing industry is therefore insignificant in meeting Jordan’s fisheries requirements, the vast majority of which is imported.

Because of the small size of the marine fishing industry in Jordan, fisheries management is not undertaken in any meaningful way. There is no single organization with responsibility for developing fisheries policy, although licensing and other administrative activities are undertaken by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Marine fisheries are likely to remain insignificant in Jordan while their management will be increasingly incorporated into more general marine environmental management, particularly management measures to protect Jordan’s coral reef and seagrass areas. In addition, because it is highly likely that Jordan’s commercial marine fish species are shared stocks with neighboring countries, effective management both of the stocks and of the marine environment that supports them will require a regional approach rather than unilateral action by Jordan alone. Jordan has already implemented several bilateral agreements to address this regional approach.

REFERENCES

PERSGA. 2001. Country report to World Bank/GEF Strategic Action Program for the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, Vol. 2; 217pp.

APPENDIX TABLES

Characteristics of the largest (and only) marine artisanal fishery of Jordan, which is carried out in the Gulf of Aqaba of the Red Sea

This artisanal fishery is a multi-gear, multi-species fishery that targets demersal reef fish, rabbitfish (Siganus spp.) and various tuna species, mainly using handlines. There is also a growing recreational boat fishery, although no data is available on this fishery.

* Estimated Value in 2002 U.S. Dollars.

Current management of marine capture fisheries in Jordan

(1) ‘Managed’ is taken to mean significant management intervention by Government or others. All fishermen and fishing vessels are required to be licensed but this, by itself, is not considered ‘managed’.

Use of fishery management tools within the three largest fisheries in Jordan

an/a = not applicable

Costs and funding sources of fisheries management within the three largest fisheries of Jordan

(1) License fees, and other fisheries-related revenue, are paid to the Jordanian general Government revenue. There is no specific link between the revenues collected and the budget allocation for management of fisheries.

n/a = not applicable

Compliance and enforcement within the three largest fisheries in Jordan

n/a = not applicable

Capacity management within the three largest fisheries in Jordan

(1) Because there are few, if any, stock assessments of major fish stocks, the responses are the author’s opinions, based on published information and consensus of national and foreign scientists.

n/a = not applicable