CAIRO - Fish is a good source of animal protein, essential for healthy human growth. For many Egyptians, fish is their only source of protein. According to statistics published on the website of the General Authority for Fisheries Resources Development (GAFRD), which is affiliated to the Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt's annual fish catch amounts to over one million tonnes. Around 35 per cent of this comes from the local and regional waters of the Mediterranean and Red Sea, along with the Nile River and lakes, while 65 per cent now comes from fish farms. In Egypt today, a lot of fish is imported. This could be because it's much cheaper than Egyptian fish or because there isn't enough Egyptian fish. Indeed, the country's fish industry is declining. “Fish imports have for many years accounted for at least 25 per cent of the fish consumed by Egyptians,” says professor of Zoology Mohamed Naggui in the Faculty of Science, Cairo University. “The population is increasing every day, as is the demand for food, including fish. Many Egyptians today depend heavily on frozen fish as it's cheaper, but this means the fishmongers and fishermen are losing out,” he adds. Naggui explains that there are many kinds of fish living in the Nile such as catfish, eels, elephant fish and others. “Fishing is dangerous. Many fishermen get killed in this job because of bad weather, flooding, fire, poor maintenance of boats, huge waves and improper loading. Their boats and their tackle need to be carefully inspected before they go out on a fishing trip. “Winter is the most dangerous season, when the seas are roughest and the water coldest. But economic pressures force the fishermen to stay at sea to catch more fish, despite the bad weather and the need to repairs their boats,” he adds. “Drainage canals now flow into the Nile and lakes such as Manzala, Bardawil, Edko, Borolus, Wadi el-Natrun and Nasser. This has been happening for a number of years,” says professor of Public Health at Cairo University Mohamed Hamdi, adding that one of the biggest problems is pollution. “The River Nile is polluted by industrial and petroleum products. The lakes must be refreshed with seawater from time to time, while sewage water should be recycled before it can enter the lakes.” There are about 210,000 fishermen in Egypt and around two million people work in the fish-processing industry, according to the Co-operative Association for Water Resources (CAWR). “Most fishermen need to be protected by the Fish Wealth Authority [FWA]. All fishing boats should have licences and all fishermen should be properly trained. “They must be taught modern fishing methods, while their boats must have the equipment needed to either freeze or tin the fish they catch,” stresses Hamdi. “We need to boost our fish production in order to reduce imports,” says professor of Fish Wealth at the Faculty of Agriculture Ahmed Soweilam. “First, Egyptian fishing vessels should clinch agreements to fish in fishing grounds of neighbouring countries. Secondly, something must be done to stop agriculture, industry and sewage polluting the lakes. “Thirdly, the licensing procedures should be made easier and fourthly production costs should be reduced, so local fish can compete with imported fish in terms of price. Fifthly, institutions should be established for training young workers in the fishing sector.” He adds that the Fish Wealth Authority should properly regulate the fishing industry, in order to upgrade and develop it. “We need more agreements to regulate the fishing trade, as well as providing security for fishermen whose work is dangerous,” professor Soweilam stresses.
