Near East and North Africa

Aquaculture is currently restricted to about 45 aquatic species, with finfish representing 97 percent of total production. Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is the most important farmed species; contributing 50 percent to total NENA aquaculture output in 2014, followed by carps (26 percent). Farming of marine species in brackishwater and seawater environments is also spreading and widely practiced. Extensive, semi-intensive intensive and integrated farming systems are adopted. The majority of fish farms in the NENA region are small-scale operations practiced mainly by the private sector; however, industrial scale marine and freshwater aquaculture is gaining considerable attention.
Aquaculture development in the NENA region is facing several constraints, including limited appropriate inland and costal lands, inappropriate freshwater fish hatchery installations and management, poor quality of produced seeds and poor handling and transportation. In the case of marine seed, there is a wide gap between seed production and farmers’ demand. Most NENA countries also import their feed ingredients or processed fish feeds at high prices. NENA countries also do not possess animal health control systems for aquaculture. The access to credit, loans and insurance for aquaculture business is almost non-existent in most NENA countries. The expansion of the aquaculture industry in the region has increased environmental concerns and public awareness about food security issues and environmental conservation.
Substantial quantities of fish and fish products are imported annually in the region to cover the gap between fish production and consumption. The imports totaled 1 113 940 tonnes in 2013, representing 24.7 percent of total production and leading to a significant increase in per capita fish consumption, with a potential for further increase. However, the current contribution of aquaculture to fish consumption in the region is insignificant (except in Egypt and Iran). The contribution of aquaculture to the GDP in the region is also insignificant. In addition, the aquaculture sector is generally fragile and highly sensitive to external pressure, including environmental, economic, social and financial conditions. There are also several gaps in governance and management of the sector. In many countries, governance and regulation of the sector are carried out by more than one authority, leading to poor management strategies and policies and overlaps in fisheries and aquaculture legislation. In many cases specific laws and regulations are either nonexistent or they are outdated, weak or inactive. As far as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Blue Growth Initiative (BGI) are concerned, the aquaculture and fisheries sector in NENA region faces many challenges. They include lack of farmer’s adaptability to climate change and resilience to natural disasters and socioeconomic risks, limited awareness on environmental and social impacts of aquaculture, and limited access to quality production inputs and sustainable production technologies. Most NENA countries have not created effective partnership with the FAO global BGI to face these challenges.