Recognizing that adoption of fish farming practices and the establishment of a relevant industry and the development of the entire field of fisheries requires trained personnel, and further recognizing that technical assistance and foreign education fellowships, can only solve a part of the need for trained personnel, the Syrian Government, following the advice of FAO experts, decided to provide better training facilities than had been available during the expert's first short-term training course given in 1960. The Government, further recognizing the lack of training facilities in the area, opened the training center to all Arab countries.
The Center, to be built at the governmental experimental fish culture station at Kalaat el Moudik was officially named “National Near East Fisheries Training Center, Kalaat el Moudik”. Its objectives were to:
Provide practical and theoretical training, in a 9-month course, in inland fisheries including:
Fisheries Administration
Emphasis was given to the special climatological conditions prevailing in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Region.
It was further decided that the Center would take from 12 to 15 students per course. Education prerequisite for participants was the secondary level certificate.
The expert, at the request of the Government and in line with the terms of reference underlying his assignment in the first phase of his assignment, worked out the basic design and requirements for the Center; and during the second phase devoted a considerable share of his time in assisting in the completion of the building of this Center. The Ministry of Agriculture requested the Ministry of Public Works to finalize the building plans and execute the project. The Ministry of Agriculture appropriated 100,000 Syr.P. in its budget for construction, and an additional 35,000 SP for equipment and furniture needed for housing and training as well as administrative operation of the Center.
The Center in its present form is composed of:
The Main Building, housing a modern laboratory with aquaria and experimental tanks, and providing separate working space for 15 trainees, a modern lecture room, dormitory facilities for 15 people, a recreation room, baths, dining area, kitchen, etc. The water and electricity supply (110 Volt) are independent.
The Experimental Fish Culture Station, attached to the Training Unit, comprised of 22 ponds with a total surface area of 3 hectares.
After completion of the building, the expert began preparing the necessary training materials. A small exhibition of fishing gear, twines and ropes, webbing and hooks, etc., was arranged together with a series of enlarged photographs exhibiting activities of the Station.
A small library was established. FAO provided a number of fisheries publications.
Garden work was arranged with an appointed gardener.
A main road connecting the school with the station center and several roads to the ponds were built by the staff at a considerable saving in time and money.
After long consideration as to which department in the Ministry of Agriculture would have the administrative responsibility for the school, and which department or Mohafazat would have budgetary responsibility, the school was opened on 4 May 1964 for its first 9-month training course with an enrollment of seven local students, two from Jordan and one from Saudi Arabia. All students met the secondary education requirement and had some knowledge of English.
The training program (Appendix 1), drafted by the expert, was sufficiently flexible to be adjusted to the knowledge level of the trainees. The training sessions were conducted by Dr. A. Saadi, appointed lecturer to the Center and the expert.
All students passed the final examination in December 1964 and received certificates of successful attendance.
A second training course commenced on 24 April 1965. Although more than 30 applicants had expressed interest and had tentatively been registered only 3 students were finally enrolled. They were joined by one student on an FAO Fellowship from Yemen.
A third course, scheduled to commence in April 1966, was cancelled by the Minister of Agriculture.
An effective and continuing fishery research and management program requires an adequate staff of trained fishery technicians. In Syria, at present, there is a need for medium-level trained personnel rather than for university graduates.
It is strongly recommended that these technicians be trained at the National Near East Fisheries Training Center at Kalaat el Moudik instead of sending them abroad for training because: (i) local training in the area of future work makes the trainee fit for an immediate approach to local problems without the necessity of adaption of foreign techniques to local conditions; and (ii) the training program can be conducted in the trainee's mother tongue.
In the event that the Syrian Government should change its present attitude and policy toward its Fisheries Training Center and accept the above recommendation, the following recommendations are also made.
The staff of the training center should be selected on a sound relationship between the number of students and staff and not as it was at the second training session. It is recommended that the staff should be as follows:
1 Principal, who would take about 25 percent of the lecturing program. He should have a basic knowledge of fishery matters;
1 full-time Lecturer, who would act for the Principal during his absence and assume the other 75 percent of the lecturing;
1 Administrative officer, whose duties would include: book-keeping, storage work, purchase of food supply for school, correspondence;
1 Cook
1 Servant-cleaner
1 Laundry woman, who also acts as part-time servant-cleaner
On this basis the cost for staff at the center could be reduced by almost half of what it has been.
As the Experimental Fish Culture Station and the Training Center are technically dependent upon each other (although this has not always been fully recognized) the Principal should also take over full supervisory functions related to the experimental unit.
It is further recommended that the Training Center and Experimental Station be attached directly to the Ministry of Agriculture, Damascus, Departments of Agricultural Education and Animal Production respectively, rather than being under the Mohafazat Administration.
Special attention should be directed to the maintenance and supply of the Center and Station. This includes not only maintenance of buildings and grounds but also of training and demonstration materials, and laboratory supplies of chemicals, glassware and butagas.
During 1962 the station was supervised by Mr. K. Saleh, counterpart to the expert during the first phase of the project. The expert found that excellent work had been done and full records on the activities had been kept for the 1961 harvest and winter-rearing period of 1961–62.
However, almost all the ponds had suffered damage to the dikes from wave action, and it was necessary to employ extra workmen to repair them. Lack of funds delayed this work until mid-autumn 1963, far beyond the usual starting date of rearing. Therefore, rearing experiments had to be limited to the few ponds not severely damaged.
Work at the Station was further complicated by the departure of Mr. Saleh on an FAO Fellowship in August 1963, and the necessity to organize the Training Center and its program.
The water supply for the ponds also created problems. When the ponds were constructed a siphon pipe was installed in the ancient stone wall of the mill pond of Kalaat el Moudik in such a way as to provide what was determined to be an adequate inflow of 25 l/sec. for the entire pond area. From 1963 on, however, an increasing drop in water level occurred as a result of breaks in the old pond walls. Farmers desiring additional water for irrigation helped break the walls. Attempts to repair the walls by the station staff and students had little success. The Major Projects Administration is responsible for the el Ghab project, but made no attempt to rebuild the pond walls although repeatedly requested so to do.
Pumps were obtained to help remedy the loss of water. An old pump at the station took three months to repair because of lack of spare parts and funds to buy them. A second pump bought in 1960 went out of order in 1961 and lack of spare parts kept it out of order until 1965. A third pump transferred from another station arrived with pieces missing which took considerable time to obtain.
It is therefore recommended that the water supply to the experimental station be improved by repairing the walls of the mill pond to ensure the original quantity of water, or that other adequate provision be made for the water supply.
During 1963 only limited fish culture experiments were conducted because of the pond repair work.
In 1964, despite continued problems of water supply some limited experimentation was again carried out. Half of the available ponds were used by Dr. A. Saadi to carry out experiments of his own. Dr. Saadi, who had received his training in Central Europe, used methods as applied there without modification for local conditions. The results indicated that modification of these Central European techniques are necessary for Syria. The FAO expert's recommendations for such modifications are given in Section 3.215.
In 1965 all of the stock of 85 selected common carp (Cyprinus carpio) spawners, which had been developed from 1960 to form an “El Ghab Carp Race”, and most of the 1,800 age group 0 fingerlings were lost through negligence on the part of station workers. As a result no experiments could be conducted.
The results of the experiments including those done by Mr. Saleh in the absence of the expert in 1961–62 are given in Tables I and II. As will be seen, production averaged 2,248 kg/ha/annum for the 1961–62 season and 2,828 kg/ha/annum for the 1963–64 season. It is believed that the limit of production has not been achieved because of the water shortage and the unavailibility of foodstuffs at times. A slight increase could be obtained if optimum conditions were provided and on the basis of the experiments conducted it can be concluded that conditions in the el Ghab Valley are most favorable for the application of fish cultural practices. One of the objectives of the project has thus been obtained.
A second question and objective of the project related to the economic aspects of fish culture. Is fish culture an economic proposition for the el Ghab and Syria in general or is another crop more feasible? This question has been continually asked by various governmental officials.
According to Mr. S.R. Randhawa, UNDP/SF expert to the Syrian Government, in a paper “Studies of Enterprises and their related Problems”, Land Use and Production Economics 5, Ministry of Agrarian Reform, Damascus, May 1965 (mimeo), his detailed studies of the reclamation of the el Ghab revealed the average cost of reclaiming a hectare of land was almost 4,000 Syr.P, to which an average of another 2,000 Syr.P for construction of feeder canals and field drains should be added. Thus total investment for reclamation of one hectare of land in the el Ghab was approximately 6,000 Syr.P.
Against this figure for agricultural land, the cost of construction of one hectare of fish pond was 12,000 Syr.P.
Costing for both cotton raising and fish raising are given in Tables III and IV. In Table V income and percentage return on investments are given.
Table I
| 1961 Summer Rearing Period | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| STOCKING | HARVEST | FOOD | FERTILIZER | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pond No. | Area (m2) | Number* | Av.Wgt. (g) | Wgt. (Kg) | Date | Date | Duration of Rearing (days) | No. | Loss of fish | Av.Wgt. | Total Wgt. (kg) | Gain (kg) | Computed per ha production (kg) | Total Food Supplied(kg) | Type | Food Coefficient (Relative) total foodstuff supplied | Application | ||||||
| Actual | Rate per ha | No. | % | total weight gained | |||||||||||||||||||
| A | 3,000 | 1,610 | 4,000 | 5.2 | 8.4 | 15/6 | 2/11 | 141 | 1,594 | 16 | 1.0 | 0.385 | 614 | 605.6 | 1,655 | 2,055 | Wheat Bran | 3.39 | 1) 300 kg Superphosphate/ha⅔ shortly before stocking ⅓ middle of rearing period | ||||
| B | 4,095 | 1,800 | 4,000 | 6.0 | 10.8 | 15/6 | 14/11 | 153 | 1,701 | 99 | 5.5 | 0.455 | 774 | 763.2 | 1,864 | 1,593 | Cotton seed cake | 2.08 | |||||
| C | 5,040 | 2,216 | 4,000 | 6.0 | 13.3 | 22/6 | 4/11 | 136 | 2,010 | 206 | 9.3 | 0.405 | 814 | 800.7 | 1,588 | 1,957 | Cotton seed cake | 2.44 | |||||
| D | 1,760 | 774 | 4,000 | 6.0 | 4.6 | 22/6 | 3/11 | 135 | 763 | 11 | 0.1 | 0.389 | 297 | 292.4 | 1,659 | 715 | Cotton seed cake | 2.45 | 2) 120 kg Amm.Sulphate/ha; 1/4 given in July Aug., Sept.–Oct. | ||||
| J | 1,947 | 855 | 4,000 | 6.7 | 5.7 | 15/6 | 1/11 | 140 | 685 | 70 | 8.2 | 0.494 | 338 | 332.3 | 1,707 | 760 | 2.29 | ||||||
| K | 1,914 | 841 | 4,000 | 10.0 | 8.4 | 5/7 | 2/11 | 120 | 710 | 131 | 15.2 | 0.546 | 388 | 379.6 | 1,983 | 1,186 | Cotton seed cake | 3.12 | 3) 120 kg Amm.Nitrate (See Amm.Sulphate application) | ||||
| L | 992 | 436+600 tilapia | 6,000 | 6.0 32.0 | 2.6 19.2 | 13/6 20/8 | 2/11 | 144 76 | 410 585 | 26 15 | 6.0 2.0 | 0.453 0.065 | 186 | 183.4 18.8 | } | 202.2 | 1,848 190 | } | 2,038 | 636 | Cotton seed cake | 3.15 | |
| M | 1,312 | 576 288 | 4,000 2,000 (retained fingerlings) | 6.0 6.0 | 3.5 1.7 | 15/6 15/8 | 30/10 | 138 76 | 570 250 | 6 38 | 1.0 13.2 | 0.440 0.080 | 251 | 247.5 18.3 | } | 265.8 | 1,886 139 | } | 2,025 | 835 | Cotton seed cake | 3.15 | In addition ponds L,K, M, and O received Alpha alpha as green manureat approx. equal quantities of 0.75 t/ha |
| O | 1,066 | 468 | 4,000 | 10.0 | 4.7 | 15/6 | 31/10 | 139 | 429 | 39 | 8.3 | 0.570 | 246 | 241.3 | 2,264 | 442 | 1.83 | ||||||
| AVERAGES | 60 | 6.1 | 1,865 | Wheat bran - see above Cotton seed cake - 2.56 av. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1961/62 Winter Rearing Season | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| A | 3,660 | 805 | 2,000 | 80.0 | 64.0 | 8/11 | 28/2 | 113 | 805 | - | - | 0.195 | 15.7 | 93.0 | 254 | 1,025 | Cotton seed cake | 11.0 | No fertilizer | ||||
| C | 5,040 | 900 | 2,000 | 6.7 | 5.7 | 8/11 | 28/2 | 113 | 892 | 8 | 0.9 | 0.075 | 6.5 | 59.3 | 118 | 1,000 | Cotton seed cake | 17.8 | No fertilizer | ||||
| K | 1,914 | 841 | 4,000 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 8/11 | 28/2 | 113 | 770 | 71 | 8.4 | 0.049 | 37.7 | 33.3 | 174 | 253 | Cotton seed cake | 7.5 | Green manure(Alpha alpha - 0.75 t/ha) | ||||
| M | 1,312 | 576 | 4,000 | 8.0 | 4.6 | 17/11 | 28/2 | 104 | 503 | 73 | 12.7 | 0.175 | 88.0 | 85.4 | 651 | 380 | Cotton seed cake | 4.3 | 1) 150 kg Superphosphate/ha at beginning of rearing | ||||
| 350 | 7.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| N | 1,134 | 125 | 1,000 | 75.0 | 9.4 | 20/11 | 1/3 | 102 | 125 | - | - | 0.450 | 56.0 | 46.6 | 411 | 350 | Cotton seed cake | 4.8 | |||||
| O | 1,066 | 234 | 2,000 | 75.0 | 17.6 | 8/11 | 1/3 | 114 | 234 | - | - | 0.390 | 91.0 | 73.4 | 689 | 2) 60 kg of each Amm.Sulph. and Nitrate, 1/2 at beginning; 1/2 in December | |||||||
| AVERAGES | 25 | 3.7 | 383 584 | (all) (fertilized ponds only) | |||||||||||||||||||
Remarks: The feeding scheme was disturbed during month of August when no cotton seed cake was available.
The August quantity was partly added additionally during September.
* Includes 10 percent loss allowance.
Table II
| 1963 Summer Rearing Period | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| STOCKING | HARVEST | FOOD | FERTILIZER | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pond No. | Area (m2) | Number* | Av.Wgt. (g) | Wgt (kg). | Date | Date | Duration | No. | Loss of Fish | Av.Wgt. | TotalWgt. (kg) | Computed per ha production (kg) | Total Food Supplied (kg) | Type | Food Coefficient (Relative) total foodstuff supplied | Application | ||||||||||
| Actual | Rate per ha | No. | % | total weight gained | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| J | 1,497 | 855 | 4,000 | 12 | 10.3 | 1/7 | 30/9 | 92 | 846 | 9 | 1.0 | 440 | 429.7 | 2,207 | 1,310 | ½ wheat bran + ⅓ broad beans | 3.04 | Chemical fertilizer = See Table I.Green manuring (Alpha alpha)1.5 t/ha for ponds stocked with carp - stabled and fresh cut. 2.0 t/ha tilapia crop - fresh cut only. | ||||||||
| K | 1,914 | 841 | 4,000 | 10 | 8.4 | 1/7 | 30/9 | 92 | 817 | 24 | 2.9 | 86 | 377.6 | 1,973 | 1,180 | ⅓ cotton seed cake mixed and soaked in water for 8 hrs. beans were broken before, average food quantity 4.7 t/ha. Calculated application at absolute food coefficient of 1:4, however, was not always secured due to irregularity of food supply for the station | 3.13 | |||||||||
| L | 992 | 440 (tilapia) | 4,000 | 15 | 6.6 | 1/7 | 2/10 | 94 | 97 | 43 | 9.8 | 83 | 76.4 | 770 | 120 | 1.6 | ||||||||||
| M | 1,312 | 576 retained 576 carp fingerlings) | 4,000 4,000 | 15 4 | 8.6 2.3 | } | 10.9 | 2/7 2/8 | 1/10 | 91 61 | 547 | 29 | 5.0 | 262 45 | } | 307 | 253.4 42.7 | } | 296.1 | 1,931 325 | } | 2,256 | 755 | 2.98 | ||
| 2,145 | (mixed sizes incl.) | 2.44 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 35 | 6.1 | 2,037 | (saleable carp only, tilapia excl. for both averages) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1963/64 Winter Rearing Period | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| K | 1,914 | 420 | 2,000 | 12 | 5.0 | 1/10 | 30/1 | 122 | 420 | - | - | 93 | 88 | 451 | 227 | food: see above Quantity = 1.2 t/ha Calculated application: Oct.= 30% of total Dec.= 20% of total Nov.= 30% of total Jan.= 20% of total has been able to supply regularly | 2.6 | Green manure (Alpha alpha)1.5 t - stable and about 1/5 fresh cut mixed during October and November applied . Chemical fertilizer = see Table I. | ||||||||
| L | 992 | 220 | 2,000 | 93 | 20.5 | 2/10 | 30/1 | 121 | 218 | 2 | 0.9 | 87 | 66.5 | 670 | 118 | 1.8 | ||||||||||
| M | 1,312 | 280 | 2,000 | 93 | 26.0 | 1/10 | 1/2 | 124 | 276 | 4 | 1.4 | 104 | 78 | 595 | 176 | 2.3 | ||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 2 | 0.7 | 572 632 | (all ponds) (L+M only) | 2.2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Table III
Cost structure per hectare of cotton (in accordance with Randhawa supplemented by the expert for (a) water fees, (b) fertilizer costs (c) harvest (picking) costs and (d) transportation of cotton to nearest collection center
| Item | Cost Syr.P/ha |
| Annuity for land (amortized over 25 year period at 2% interest) | 196 |
| Irrigation and maintenance charges | 20 |
| Preparatory cultivation expenses (tractor work, plowing (25 cm deep) 2 x, harrowing 3 x) | 50 |
| Seeds | 25 |
| Pest control | 35 |
| Man-labor for irrigation etc. | 30 |
| Harvest labor | 60 |
| Water (10,000 m3) for irrigation | 100 |
| Fertilizer | 170 |
| Transportation of crop to nearest collection center | 20 |
| TOTAL | 706 |
Table IV
Cost structure per hectare of fish pond farming
| Item | Cost Syr.P | |
| Annuity for ponds (amortized over 25 year period at 2 % interest) | 588 | |
| Irrigation and maintenance charges | 20 | |
| Preparatory cultivation expenses (tractor work, plowing, 17 cm deep, 2x, harrowing 3x) | 40 | 648 |
| SUMMER-REARING | ||
| Man-labor | 539 | |
| Seed | 18 | |
| Carp fingerlings | 1,100 | |
| Food | 780 | |
| Fertilizer | 153 | |
| Maintenance of nets, equipment, etc. | 20 | |
| Water (30,000 m3 for replacement of loss)1 | 300 | 2,910 |
| WINTER-REARING | ||
| Man-labor | 212 | |
| Carp fingerlings | 412 | |
| Food | 120 | |
| Fertilizer | 66 | |
| Maintenance of nets, equipment, etc. | 10 | |
| Water2 | - | 820 |
| Grand Total | 4,378 | |
1 Filling of ponds is done prior starting of irrigation in the el Ghab.
2 No water fees during winter period (outside of irrigation season).
Table V
Farm business income from cotton cultivation and carp rearing in ponds
| Cultivated Product | Total Investment/ha (Syr.P.) | Average yield (t/ha) | Price per ton (Syr.P.)1 | Gross income/ha (Syr.P.) | Net income/ha (Syr.P.) | Percentage return on investment |
| Cotton | 706 | 1.28 | 710 | 910 | 204 | 29 |
| Carp | 4,378 | 2.60 | 2,500 | 6,500 | 2,122 | 48 |
1 Prices received by producers.
From these tables it is seen that although fish farming requires more outlay in capital, labor and other expenditures than does cotton raising, the return on the investment is also greater. On the basis of figures in the tables return on investment in cotton amounts to about 29 percent, whereas for fish farming it amounts to about 48 percent.
However, two additional factors not taken into account in the above tables must be considered. First, it is a general rule that fish farming is usually not recommended for land suitable for other forms of agriculture. Fish farming is recommended for areas unsuitable for most agricultural crops. Thus the annuity for land would be almost negligible as the value of waste land would be very low compared to that of cotton land. Secondly, a large amount of expense was due to the purchase of the fingerling stocks. With development of fish culture and experience, it is most likely that the fingerlings might well be produced on the farm at a very much lower cost.
The expenditures for continued cotton raising will also rise as the natural fertility of the soil is reduced by cotton crops. To replace this loss a far greater amount of fertilizer will be needed with the additional labor costs involved.
It is believed therefore that under such circumstances fish farming will prove to have an even greater return on the investment than other agricultural crops.
The development plan for the el Ghab included recommendations for the establishment of commercial fish farms. In 1960, the Syrian Government decided to build the first commercial station at Ain Taka as recommended. The selected site, covering an area of roughly 150 hectares, extended from Ain Taka springs on the east to near Cheria village on the west. This site was large enough for several fish farms. However, the recommendation was to build one and test the results achieved at the Experimental Fish Culture Station at Kalaat el Moudik before constructing others.
Due to expropriation problems within the area, the original plans had to be revised. About 100 hectares of land were excluded and the new area was restricted to the Ain Taka river bed where no ownership claims were involved. Final drafts of the layout of the farm were made in the spring of 1964 and the pilot project was let for tender in the autumn of 1964.
It should be pointed out that the fish farm is being considered as part of the overall irrigation project which covers the captivation of the Ain Taka Springs, and the construction of the drain canal designated 2.7.2 which leads to main drain B.
Appointment of a suitable contractor was delayed until late spring 1965 due to financial adjustments and other adjustments in the tender. The work was to have been completed by the end of 1965. However, due to unforseen difficulties the project was still not completed in November 1966. The main difficulty occurred in the autumn of 1965 when closing of the gate in canal G-4 caused a considerable increase in the volume of water in the springlake which in turn flooded the dried up pond area below. Thus the contractor had to start draining the partly completed pond beds and rebuild some half-completed dikes.
Since the contract excluded construction of necessary buildings, such as living accommodations for staff, and electric supply water supply, work shops, storage facilities, etc., the expert worked out the requirements and forwarded the estimate as to immediate expenses and annual running costs in order to have the items covered by the budgetary allocations for 1966. In addition, he alerted the responsible Ministries to the fact that completion of the ponds alone would not permit commercial activities as long as the necessary auxillary establishments were missing.
The Ministry of Agriculture provided the financial support for necessary equipment such as an electric generator, workshop equipment, tractor, etc. This equipment is stored at Kalaat el Moudik Station where it can easily be moved to the new station five km away.
Unfortunately, the other Ministries involved have not provided the funds for the buildings and no authorization could be given to appoint a contractor to put up the buildings.
The present layout of the farm includes eight ponds which cover an area of 42 hectares, with six additional spawning ponds. The layout costs including all necessary structures is estimated at between 11,000 and 12,000 Syrian pounds per hectare. Present allocation of funds is not defined exactly as to purpose, but includes the whole establishment. Because of this, only the contractor is competent to supply relevant cost structures and as he treats the project as a whole he is reluctant to provide unit costs.
At the time of writing this report, the Government is still undecided as to whether the Ain Taka Station should serve its original purpose of rearing fish to marketable size or - in case the Government adopts a new fishery policy under discussion - it should serve as a nursery to provide fingerlings for stocking natural waters.
As stated above, it is not yet known what fishery policy the Government will pursue. The expert proposes the following recommendations in respect to fish culture and fish cultural practices which he believes essential for an adequate program.
No real experimental work can be conducted until a guaranteed water supply is made available. This is the basic problem..
As was stated in FAO/EPTA Report No. 1502, Fish Culture Project in Syria covering the expert's stay in the country from 1959–61, the ponds must also be maintained and the materials needed for maintenance kept on hand. Currently, pond sediments have increased to such an extent that in at least half the ponds the maximal depth in front of the monks is less than the prescribed 1.5 m when filled to normal level. Removal of part of this layer can be combined with the reshaping of the dikes. The newly-purchased two-wheel tractor could be put to good use for this kind of work.
If the proposed work is found to be too time consuming for the present staff, the hiring of extra laborers for a brief period to accomplish the repairs is proposed. It may even be preferable to interrupt experimentation for a year to effect a complete and thorough repair of the entire pond area.
It has been repeatedly emphasized that quick-lime application for sanitary measures makes sense only when the quick-lime (CaO) is really quick-lime and not after it has been piled up around the pond for long periods, turning into calcium carbonate (CaCO3) which is of no value as a pond sanitation chemical. Application of the CaCO3 is not necessary in the el Ghab pond waters as they contain sufficient calcium compounds to start with.
Due to the mortality of all selected breeders during 1965, it is of utmost importance to start again the selection of suitable parental material. First steps in selecting a new brood stock were undertaken during the last months of 1965 by the expert and Mr. Ebesh, his counterpart. These selective measurements should be continued since future results will to a large extent depend upon the quality of the stocking material.
It is essential that proper care and feeding be given the brood stock. Should the need arise again for the eradication of skin parasites the following treatments are recommended:
| Medicament | Application* | Parasite |
| Potassium permanganate solution (1 g : 1 l water) | Dipping for 30 to 40 sec. | Argulus |
| Potassium permanganate solution (1 g : 10 l water) | Bathing for 5 to 10 min. | Argulus |
| Salt (NaCl) solution (25 g : 1 l water) | Bathing for 10 to 15 min. | Various skin parasites (precautionary sanitary treatment) |
| Copper sulphate solution (1 g : 10 l water) | Bathing for 10 to 20 min. | Various skin parasites (especially Saprolegnia, suitable as precautionary sanitary treatment) |
| Lysol solution (1 g : 5 l water) | Dipping for 10 to 20 sec. | Argulus and fish-leeches |
Due to favorable natural conditions, no difficulties in spawning carp have been observed so far. However, care must be taken to choose the right time for stocking the spawning ponds. Should the breeders not spawn after being kept for three days in the spawning pond, they should be removed and put back in the holding pond until they become mature. A second attempt should then be made.
The best time to collect fry is when they are three or four days old. Older fry become more difficult to net because of their tendency to spread all over the pond and because they also require more oxygen than might be available in the collection vat or basket during netting and transportation to the nursing ponds.
The number of fry which can generally be expected from one three-year old female carp is from 12,000 to 15,000. Smaller females - one and two-year old, 500 to 800 g weight, (currently the only ones available) - provide from 3,000 to 5,000 fry.
Additional studies are needed to determine the relationship between the size of female and the number of fry produced so that optimum production can be obtained.
It is urged that the nursing ponds be prepared thoroughly in the way demonstrated by the expert. With the help of the two-wheel tractor a one-dunam (1,000 m2) pond will require about four hours of work, which includes harrowing the pond twice. The pond bottom should be harrowed soon after the fingerlings have been removed and again one month later. Following this second harrowing, 10 to 12 kg of barley seed per dunam should be sown over the freshly broken ground and then covered slightly. After the barley has reached a height of 20 cm the pond should be inundated. The water supply should be arranged so that the fluctuation in pond level is kept to the minimum during the nursing period.
Nursing should be restricted to a four week period.
It is strongly recommended that the one-year rearing program be used instead of that commonly used in the Northern European program of two-or three-year cycles. It has been shown that use of the European system would lead to considerable complication and reduced production. The carp in the el Ghab Valley reach maturity at the age of one year, whereas in Europe maturity is reached after three years. Thus if the European system is followed, the young produced by the carp spawning in their second and third years will completely alter production and food requirements. There would be no way to calculate the number of fish for food calculations and the young fish would eat the food intended for adults. Ponds would become overcrowded and in general complicate the whole process. Moreover, Syrian consumers will accept carp of 400 to 600 g so there is no need to rear them to 1 kg or more, a more expensive process.
The following data (Table VI) emphasizes the above.
It is known that a pond will only support fish up to a certain total weight. This is known as “carrying capacity”. Knowledge of the carrying capacity of ponds is essential in order to apply the correct amounts of food and fertilizer; their continued application after the carrying capacity has been reached is a loss of money.
From the results of the experiments conducted at Kalaat el Moudik the carrying capacity of the ponds for the el Ghab Valley was determined to be:
Summer: 1,800 to 2,000 kg/ha carp, and 700 to 800 kg/ha tilapia (T. zillii, T. galilaea)
Winter: 500 to 600 kg/ha carp.
These capacities are brought about through fertilization and feeding. The experiments summarized in Table I indicated that the capacity of the ponds was reached at the end of September and that from then until mid-November, when the experiments ceased, individual gains in weight were neglible. Since the addition of food and fertilizer beyond the end of September brought no significant increase in weight this practice can be considered a waste of valuable and expensive materials.
The summer rearing season can be considered to begin in June and extend to the end of September. The winter rearing season starts in October and extends until early spring when it becomes time to prepare the ponds for the summer season.
It was also revealed by the experiments that fingerlings between 5 and 10 g weight produced more rapid growth than smaller ones. Therefore the stocking rate of the nursing ponds (which produce the stock for rearing) should be 50,000 fish per ha. Fingerlings being held for use in the winter season should be held in holding ponds at a stocking rate of 75,000 per ha and should be fed only enough food to maintain their weight.
It is necessary to keep a close watch on the gain in weight of the fish by taking monthly samples of at least 50 fish per dunam. The average weight of these specimens is multiplied by the number of fish stocked in the pond to get the total weight of the pond stock. This weight subtracted from the pond's carrying capacity indicates the gain yet to be expected. One should not, of course, slavishly attempt to always arrive at the carrying capacity. Cases will arise where growth has been above average and only a small portion of the capacity remains to be achieved. In such instances it might be more advantageous to sell the fish which are slightly less in weight than to bring them up to capacity at the additional cost of food and fertilizers which could easily cost more than the few additional kilograms of fish would bring in the market.
Table VI
Differences as to the per hectare yield (gain in weight/ha) deriving from stocking of one-year old carp and carp fingerlings, respectively
| Pond No. | Size (m2) | No. of fish stocked | Av.wgt. when stocked (kg) | Total stocking wgt. (kg) | Age | Duration of rearing 1965 | No. of fish harvested | Calculated production (gain of market-sized fish) (kg/ha) | Av.wgt. gain of single fish when harvested (kg) |
| P | 2,380 | 952(4,000)1 | 0,350 | 333 | 1 year | 27 May-28 Nov. | 927 | 848 | 0.173 average = .187 |
| K | 1,914 | 760(4,000) | 0,290 | 220 | 1 year | 29 May-29 Nov. | 710 | 1,123 | 0.200 |
| L | 992 | 595(6,000) | 0,004 | 2.4 | 5 weeks | 31 July-23 Nov. | 442 | 1,663 | 0.377 |
| G | 588 | 294(5,000) | 0,004 | 1.2 | 5 weeks | 19 July-23 Nov. | 266 | 1,595 | 0.365 average = .355 |
| D | 1,760 | 1,391(7,500) | 0,010 | 14.0 | 5 weeks | 1 July-25 Nov. | 1,188 | 2,097 | 0.322 |
1 Figure in parentheses represents stocking density per ha.
Thus necessary adjustments must be made as experience is gained and with the changing weather conditions season by season.
3.2156 Completion of station
A decision must be made by the Government as to the program of the Ain Taka Station. However, whether it is used for nursing or for rearing it must be so constructed that the water may be fully drained from the ponds. If this is not done, cropping will be very difficult and furthermore continued coverage with water will increase aquatic flora and the ponds will become heavily overgrown almost to the original swamp stage.
The major Projects Administration is aware of the need for deepening Main Drain B but no provision has yet been made for this work. Until Main Drain B is deepened the water from the station through drain 2.7.2 will not be drained during the winter-spring high water period.
In order to overcome this handicap it is recommended that either Drain B be lowered as soon as possible or that a gate be installed at the junction between Drain B and Drain 2.7.2 which will prevent water from Drain B entering 2.7.2 and a pump installed to remove the water from 2.7.2 into Drain B thus permitting the drainage of the ponds at Ain Taka.
Although limited, there are a number of perennial cold water rivers and brooks originating in the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. Only in the lower reaches where the waters warmed up was there any useful population of fish. As interest was displayed by a number of persons the expert undertook a small experiment to determine the potentials for some trout culture.
It was gratifying to the expert that the Ministry of Agriculture accepted the idea of experimenting with trout to fill an empty niche in the river systems and provided some funds for its realization by importing rainbow trout (Salmo gairdnerii) fingerlings and adults to ascertain the suitability of rainbow trout for the cold water streams in Syria.
The experiments were conducted in both the Arne and Barrada Rivers. In early 1964, 1,000 rainbow trout fingerlings (5 to 7 cm long) were stocked in the Arne River and 30 kg of adults (500 to 700 g each) were stocked in the Barrada.
Three extensive population checks, carried out with the help of electric fishing gear, were made during 1965–66. It was found in the Arne River that:
Fingerlings had grown to an average weight of 600 g in one year;
Fish had dispersed over a river stretch of 10 km;
Density of fish was one to two trout per 30–40 m;
Reproduction took place in the early spring of 1966.
In the Barrada River the trial failed. Indications are that the adult trout were caught by hook and line fishing or by use of dynamite, a practice which occurs in the Barrada.
In view of the success of the stocking in the Arne River and the keen response to the trial by the local population and the District Administration it is suggested that continued study and work should be done on the trout in the Arne River.
It is believed that a considerably larger population than is now present can be maintained in the Arne. It is questionable whether natural reproduction will provide sufficient stock. Thus it is recommended that the detailed plans submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture on 1 June 1966 in the report “Arne River Trout Project” be carried out.
In case that it should not be possible to immediately construct the hatchery and ponds recommended, the following temporary plan is suggested. The 24 incubator trays, which were provided with the help of the Damascus Chamber of Agriculture, should be placed in the newly dug drain bordering the selected site of the Station near Arne Village. Fixing of boxes and treatment of eggs could be arranged in the same way as had been done for one private farmer near Hameh Village. The fry should not be stocked directly into the Arne but into her many small perennial tributaries fed by separate springs. Once the fry reach larger size they will migrate to the river.
Once sufficient experience has been gained on the Arne project, extension of activities to other rivers such as Senn River, Springs of Sori, near the Senn, and Naher Kabir Genobi could be foreseen. However, it might be preferable to first of all serve the entire Djebel Cheikh Region before advancing to the Mediterranean Rivers.
