COUNTRY FILES (Contd.)

MOROCCO

1. GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE

Morocco has a surface area of 446 330 km². The centre of the country is occupied by the high Atlas Mountains which separate fertile coastal plains from inland pre-Saharan semi-arid areas.

The climate is semi-tropical in lowland areas and cooler in the mountains. The rainy season extends from November to March, but is unreliable and produces both flash floods and droughts. The economy is based on agriculture, mineral extraction and tourism.

2. HYDROGRAPHY

2.1 Lakes

There are several small natural lakes.

2.2 Rivers, Floodplains and Swamps

There are several river basins, including Moulouya, Rbia, Tensift and Sous.

2.3 Reservoirs

There are more than 30 impoundments in Morocco, with a total reservoir area of over 500 km².

2.4 Coastal Lagoons

There are several lagoons, including mainly Merja Zerga and Nador.

2.5 Aquaculture

No data available. Trout culture for stocking rivers and lacustrine bodies is well-established.

3. FISHERY PRODUCTION/POTENTIAL

3.1 Fish production and per caput supply (see Table 1)

3.2 Inland catch range and potential yield

The only data available are for Oualidia Lagoon (1980) showing an oyster catch for that year of 140 t from aquaculture.

No information is available for:
Reservoirs Ait Ouarda, Ajras, Al Massira, Bin El Ouidane, Daourat, El Kansera, El Makhazine, Garde Ioukkos, Hassan Addakhil, Ibn Batuuta, Idries I, Imfout, Kasba Tadla, Lalla Takerkoust, Mansour Eddahbi, Mechra Homadi, Mohamed V, Mohamed Ben Abdelkrim, Mouay Youssef, Nakhla, Oued Mellah, Ouezzane, Safi, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, Sidi Said Maachou, Taghdout, Tamzaourt, Tim In Outine, Youssef Ben Tachfine and Zemrane;
Lagoons Marja Zerge, Nador and Sebkher Tazra.

Table 1. FISH PRODUCTION AND PER CAPUT SUPPLY - Morocco, 1970–1987

¹ Source: FAO
² Source: FAO Fisheries Department FISHDAB
³ included in “Inland capture” if not specified.
⁴ - = data not available.
⁵ including inland and marine aquaculture (Vincke, 1989, pers.comm.)
⁶ From 1980 to 1983, marine exports were as follows: 1980: 70 590 t; 1981: 142 703 t; 1982: 108 296 t; 1983: 157 450 t.
⁷ Considering that one-third of the marine capture is exported, the “nominal consumer supply” data could be overestimated.

4. STATE OF THE FISHERY

4.1 Yield

There is considerable angling activity in the rivers, lakes and reservoirs, as well as some commercial fishing, but annual catch data is not available. Some trout and oyster culture is practised.

Details of aquaculture production (t), inland and marine, from 1982 to 1987 is given below, by species (Vincke, 1989, pers.comm.):

Fig. 1. MAP OF MOROCCO

4.2 Factors influencing yield

No data available.

4.3 Future development possibilities

Expansion in the future is likely, particularly in the reservoirs. Pond and lagoon aquaculture activities will probably also expand in the future.

5. KEY BIBLIOGRAPHY

Coastal Lagoons: Bayed et al., 1987; Lemoalle, 1987
South Morocco: Dumont, 1987

6. WATER BODIES DIRECTORY

LAKE AIT-OUARDA

LAKE AZIGZA

LAKE IFNI

LAKE ISLY

LAKE SIDI-ALI

AIT OUARDA RESERVOIR

AJRAS RESERVOIR

AL MASSIRA RESERVOIR

ALI THELAT RESERVOIR

AMRHASS I RESERVOIR

AMRHASS II RESERVOIR

AMRHASS III RESERVOIR

BIN EL OUIDANE RESERVOIR

BOU-REGREG RESERVOIR

DAOURAT RESERVOIR

DAYET-AOUAOUA RESERVOIR

EL KANSERA RESERVOIR

EL MAKHAZINE RESERVOIR

GARDE IOUKKOS RESERVOIR

GROU RESERVOIR

HASSAN ADDAKHIL RESERVOIR

IBN BATUUTA RESERVOIR

IDRISS I RESERVOIR

IMFOUT RESERVOIR

KASBA TADLA RESERVOIR

LALLA TAKERKOUST RESERVOIR

MANSOUR EDDAHBI RESERVOIR

MECHRA HOMADI RESERVOIR

MOHAMED V RESERVOIR

MOHAMED BEN ABDELKRIM RESERVOIR

MOUAY YOUSSEF RESERVOIR

NAKHALA RESERVOIR

OUED MELLAH RESERVOIR

OUEZZANE RESERVOIR

OUIOUANE RESERVOIR

SAFI RESERVOIR

SIDI MOHAMED BEN ABDELLAH RESERVOIR

SIDI SAID MAACHOU RESERVOIR

TAGHDOUT RESERVOIR

TAMZAOURT RESERVOIR

TIM IN OUTINE RESERVOIR

TISLITE RESERVOIR

YOUSSEF BEN TACHFINE RESERVOIR

ZEMRANE RESERVOIR

MERJA ZERGA LAGOON

(all data from Bayed et al., 1987)

Fig. 2. MERJA ZERGA LAGOON
(after Bayed et al., 1987)

NADOR (= SEBKHA BOU AREG, CHICA) LAGOON

(All data from Bayed et al., 1987)

OUALIDIA LAGOON

SEBKHER TAZRA LAGOON

7. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bayed et al., 1987
Dumont, 1987
Lemoalle, 1987

Fig. 3. SEBKHA BOU AREG (NADOR) LAGOON
(after Bayed et al., 1987)

NIGER

1. GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE (Welcomme, 1979)

Niger has a total surface area of 1 267 000 km². Four-fifths is desert and the remaining one-fifth is dry savanna lying within the Sahelian Belt. The north of the country is often mountainous with major rocky massifs: the Aïr, the Massif de Termit, and the Plateau du Djado.

The climate is extremely hot and arid, with only a very short rainy season between June and September. Most of the population is concentrated into a narrow band along the southern border of the country. The population is largely nomadic, although there is a settled element in the arable lands of the south.

2. HYDROGRAPHY

2.1 Lakes (Welcomme, 1979)

The only lake of any size in Niger is Lake Chad. During the “Large Chad” phase some 2 774 km², or 17% of the total lake area, lies within Niger. However, during the “Small Chad” phase, the Northern Basin dries out to form a seasonal marsh. Thus when the Northern Basin is dry, Niger has no part of the open waters of this lake. (See Figs. 2 and 3.)

2.2 Rivers, Floodplains and Swamps (Welcomme, 1979)

The main river in Niger is the Niger itself, which flows for 600 km through the country. Of this length, 140 km form the frontier with Benin. At high water the total flooded area in Niger is 90 704 ha, of which 63 667 ha are seasonal floodplain and 27 037 ha are permanent waters of various types including the main channels of the river. (See Fig. 4.)

Other rivers in Niger are seasonal and several dried completely during the Sahelian drought. Such water courses as the Dallol Bosso and Goulbi have pond and swamp systems associated with them. The Kamdougou, flowing into Lake Chad, forms the frontier with Nigeria for part of its course.

2.3 Reservoirs

There are no large reservoirs as yet, although one is planned at Kandaji on the Niger River. There are several small agricultural reservoirs.

2.4 Coastal Lagoons

None; Niger is landlocked.

2.5 Aquaculture

The following estimate of aquaculture production centres (1985) is given by Vincke (1989, pers.comm.):

Breeding centres: 1 (surface area: 1.2 ha)
Family-type ponds:
Large fish farms: 1 (surface area: 2.0 ha)

3. FISHERY PRODUCTION/POTENTIAL

3.1 Fish production and per caput supply

Table 1. FISH PRODUCTION, Niger, 1970–1987

¹ Source: FAO
² Source: FAO Fisheries Department FISHDAB
³ included in “Inland capture” if not specified
⁴ - = data not available

3.2 Inland catch range and potential yield

Table 2.

Sources:
* Welcomme, 1979;
** see text

No information available for:
Lakes Abke, Adouna, Bagga, Begourou Tondo, Dankassari, Dossey, Galba, Gawey, Gazafa, Goula, Guidan Illa, Guidimouni, Ibohamane, Jirga, Kadata, Karaye, Keita, Kilakina, Kissabe, Madarounfa, Mecheme, Nidini, Ouassolo, Rambouka, Rouabi, Tafouka, Tuza and Youbam.

Total annual yield: see Table 1

Potential annual yield:  4 000 t/yr (drought years) (Welcomme, 1979)
                                     40 000 t/yr (flood years) (see text)

Fig. 1. MAP OF NIGER

4. STATE OF THE FISHERY

4.1 Yield

Various estimates of production have been made for the Niger River between Mali and Nigeria. Daget (1962) estimated 8 250 t of fish as being caught per year, whereas Bacalbasa (FAO/UN, 1971) estimated some 9 600 t/yr. However, these figures include catches from Benin waters of the river and the total for Niger is more probably about 7 000 t/yr. In fact, catches are liable to fluctuate according to the flood intensity in each year and may range between 4 000 and 7 000 t. The catches from Lake Chad are more difficult to define as the mobility of fishermen on the lake makes the separation of the catches in any one part difficult. Catches generally have been assumed to be about 10 000 t/yr during the “Large Chad” phase (Welcomme, 1979). In addition, small lakes in Tahoua, Zinder and Maradi districts produced 100 t in 1978 (199 fishermen) from about 36.0 km² combined surface area.

Aquaculture production (t), from 1982 to 1987, is given by Vincke (1989, pers.comm.) as follows:

4.2 Factors influencing yield (Welcomme, 1979)

There is no doubt that the fish catch within Niger is very variable. Fluctuations are due mainly to climatic variations, and the periodic droughts that characterize the Sahelian region produce notable drops in production. During the peak years of the 1970's drought (1972–74) it would seem highly probable that catches fell considerably in the Niger River, even though there are no records to show this. Furthermore, the desiccation of Lake Chad during the same period and persistence of the “Small Chad” phase has robbed the country of some 10 000 t/yr.

4.3 Future development possibilities (Welcomme, 1979)

The future of fisheries in Niger depends much on the future pattern of Lake Chad. While it is likely that, with the reestablishment of normal flow regimes in the river, fisheries will fluctuate between 5 000 and 8 000 t/yr, it is by no means certain that the northern basin of the lake will refill. One other factor which may affect fisheries in the future is the proposed construction of the flow-regulatory dam at Kandaji on the Niger River. This will alter the characteristics of the floodplains downstream, with a possible loss of fish, but will, at the same time, create a reservoir with a potential of about 2 000 t/yr.

5. KEY BIBLIOGRAPHY

Chad basin: Lèvêque, 1987

6. WATER BODIES DIRECTORY

LAKE ABKE

LAKE ADOUNA

LAKE BAGGA

LAKE BEGOUROU TONDO

LAKE CHAD
(International water)

Table 3. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF WATERS DURING “NORMAL” CHAD PERIOD IN MAIN LAKE ZONES
(cited in Leveque, 1987)

Values are in meq/l when not otherwise specified.
Values between parentheses () are approximate and deducted from evaporation experiments.

Table 4. FISH PRODUCTION FROM LAKE CHAD*

* Production figures obtained from road traffic census of dried fish at entry to Maiduguri: Baga and N'Djamena from July 1969 to June 1977 (original data after Stauch, 1977) in fresh weight equivalent.

Table 5. PRODUCTION FROM LAKE CHAD* (in Baga, 1978–85)

¹ Source: Federal Department of Fisheries, Lagos
² Baga figure multiplied by 100/70.
* Production figures obtained from road traffic census of processed fish at entry to Maiduguri: Baga, 1978–1985, in fresh weight equivalent (conversion factor of 4.5). (Sagua, 1986)

Fig. 2. RIVERS AND LAKES OF THE CHAD BASIN
(Welcomme, 1972)

Fig. 3. LAKE CHAD
(Welcomme, 1972)

LAKE DANKASSARI

LAKE DOSSEY

LAKE GALBA

LAKE GAWEY

LAKE GAZAFA

LAKE GOULA

LAKE GUIDAN ILLA

LAKE GUIDIMOUNI

LAKE IBOHAMANE

LAKE JIRGA

LAKE KADATA

LAKE KARAYE

LAKE KAYHEDE (= KAYHEHE)

LAKE KEITA

LAKE KILAKINA

LAKE KISSABE

LAKE KOUTCHIKA

LAKE MADAROUNFA

LAKE MECHEME

LAKE NIDINI

LAKE OUASSOLO

LAKE RAMBOUKA

LAKE ROUABI

LAKE SILELE

LAKE TABALACK

LAKE TAFOUKA

LAKE TUZA

LAKE YOUBAM

NIGER RIVER
(International water)

Fig. 4. RIVERS AND LAKES OF THE NIGER-BENUE SYSTEM
(Welcomme, 1972)

SOKOTO RIVER
(International water)

GARADOUME RESERVOIR

GUIDAN MAGAGI RESERVOIR

IBOHAMANE RESERVOIR

KAOURA RESERVOIR

KEITA RESERVOIR

ZONGO RESERVOIR

7. Bibliography

Ajayi & Talabi, 1984
Daget, 1954; 1957; 1962
Durand, 1980
Dussart, 1969
FAO/UN, 1962; 1970; 1971
Lèvêque, 1987
Moses, 1982
Raimondo, 1975
Sagua, 1986
Stauch, 1977
Van der Meeren, 1980
Welcomme, 1972; 1979; 1985
White, 1965