Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nationsfor a world without hunger
The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers and boundaries. Dashed lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. Part I Statistics and main indicatorsThe Profile (2018)Additional information⇧Part I Statistics and main indicatorsPart I of the Fishery and Aquaculture Country Profile is compiled using the most up-to-date information available from the FAO Country briefs and Statistics programmes at the time of publication. The Country Brief and the FAO Fisheries Statistics provided in Part I may, however, have been prepared at different times, which would explain any inconsistencies. Country briefPrepared: February 2015 Fish production in Israel is divided into two main areas, marine (the Mediterranean and the Red seas) and freshwater (Lake Kinneret-Sea of Galilee). Total fishery production in the 2016 was about 16 500 tonnes. The bulk of production comes from aquaculture (91 percent), capture production from the Mediterranean accounts for 6 percent and the inland water fisheries for 2 percent, whereas catches from the Red Sea are marginal. The Israeli Mediterranean coastline is widespread over 273 km, with six main fishing ports. The edible fish produced by freshwater aquaculture sector are oriented toward the domestic market. In 2017, imports of fish and fishery products were valued at USD 627.5 million, compared with USD 19.5 millions of exports. Although imports account for the largest share of total domestic supply of fish for human consumption, domestic fish production still represents a valuable source of animal protein and food for the population. Annual per capita fish consumption averaged about 22 kg in 2016. Economically, fisheries constitute a minor segment of total Israel GDP. Israel has a 12 nm territorial sea. Marine fishery is concentrated along the narrow continental shelf and has several segments: trawl, gillnets, longlines (both floating and bottom) and purse seines. Fishing is influenced by the oligotrophic nature of the Eastern Mediterranean Basin, pollution, overfishing of the coastal waters, political events and overdevelopment of these areas. The Mediterranean fishery catches reflect its multi-species nature with red mullets, shrimps, sharks, rays and groupers predominating. Mackerels and sardines are the principal pelagic species targeted by the purse seines. Boats have cruised to the limits of Israel maritime borders to fish for Atlantic bluefin tuna, swordfish, dolphin fish and greater amberjack. Lake Kinneret is not only used for fishing and tourism but also serves as the main freshwater reservoir for the country. Target species are St. Peter’s fish, mullets and silver carp. Recreational fishing has grown tremendously over the last years. Sport fishing for carp in Lake Kinneret has become a popular attraction as well. Aquaculture produced an estimated 19 000 tonnes of production in 2016 with about 17 000 tonnes from freshwater fish culture and 2 000 tonnes from mariculture. General geographic and economic indicators Key statistics
Source: FAO Country Profile FAO Fisheries statistics Updated 2018⇧The ProfileThis country profile provides statistics and indicators produced through FAO’s Statistics programmes, supplemented with information derived from national and other sources and valid at the time of compilation. Full text of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Country Profile available at /fishery/docs/DOCUMENT/fcp/en/FI_CP_IL.pdf ⇧Additional informationFAO Thematic data bases PublicationsMeetings & News archive⇧ |
Fisheries Division
| Fisheries Division |
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