TCP/TUN/3001 (A): Technical support for the promotion of aquaculture development and management of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) in Tunisia

Valerio Crespi Aquaculture Management and Conservation Service (FIMA) FAO Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Rome, Italy [email protected]

In t r o d u c t i o n

his article presents the activities upstream and downstream, migration In Tunisia, eels are exploited in inland Tundertaken by TCP/TUN/3001 through waterways is hindered by and coastal areas. Captured eels (A): "Technical support for the numerous man-made obstacles such come mainly from lagoon and inland promotion of aquaculture development as dykes and dams lacking “fish pass”; fisheries. The main fishing gears used in and management of the European eel there is also particularly high mortality inland waters are gillnets and trammel (Anguilla anguilla)" in Tunisia during rate among the adult eels making their nets. In the lagoons (Ichkeul, Ghar the period from January 2004 to way to spawning grounds. El Melh and lagoon of Tunis), fixed August 2006. The project was jointly gears are usually employed; the most implemented by FIMA, the FAO Ee l e x p l o i t a t i o n in Tunisia common are the fyke nets “capéchades” Representation in Tunisia and the and the barriers “bordigues”. They Interprofessional association of fishing Tunisia, like other Maghreb countries, offer the advantage to keep fish caught Products (GIPP) which provided staff is a producer of eel and it has an alive that is particularly appreciated to coordinate activities at the national important role to play in the restoration in the market of Northern European level. and conservation of the species. Eels are countries where captures are usually more abundant in the northern part of exported. Eel culture is not practiced in The European eel stock populating Tunisia where they frequent coastal Tunisia and there is no eel aquaculture marine, brackish and freshwaters of waters, lagoons and river mouths. tradition in the country. Tunisia forms part of the Mediterra- nean population of this species whose The migratory season lasts from Total eel capture fisheries production area of reproduction is located in the December until the beginning of June, in the country shows an average of Sargasso Sea, in the middle of the although the elvers are present all-year 154 939 kg per year fluctuating North Atlantic. round in some rivers (e.g. rivers of between 108 384 and 205 606 Mejerdah and Tinja). In the Tunisian kg during the period 1998-2004 This species which is exploited in legislation, it is not allowed to fish eel (Figure 1). the Atlantic Sea from the north of having a total length of less than 30 cm. Norway to Morocco and in all the Mediterranean countries is considered Figure 1. Annual production of European eel in Tunisia by the experts of the International (source: Direction Générale de la Pêche et de l’Aquaculture, 2007) Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and the European Inland Advisory Commission (EIFAC) Working Group on Eels, as an endangered species.

There are multiple factors threatening the status of this species. Fishing is often considered as one of the major factors. Studies carried out by various researcher teams of the main producer countries, however, showed that, in general, eels are mainly victims of shrinking natural habitats and pollution. When migrating both -ARINE ,AGOON

12 Captured eels coming from the released into the inland lakes/reservoirs With regard to the stock assessment northern part of Tunisia represent 51 in order to enhance the local eel component, the required material was percent of total captures, followed population. furnished by the project. Four fishing respectively by 31 percent from the east gears (“tezelles”, fixed trawls) have and only 18 percent from the south. Three training missions were organized been manufactured by the “Institut for the benefit of six national Supérieur de Pêche et d’Aquaculture With regard to the seasonal production, researchers. The first mission was de Bizerte” (ISPAB) to be used in the landings of eel are distributed along organized by EUROEEL in Denmark selected rivers (Mejerdah and Tinja), all-year round with a peak during the and the Netherlands on eel aquaculture to assess the quantity and size of silver winter season (November-February). techniques, e.g. management of an eels moving towards the sea during Apart from this season, landings are eel nursery. The other two missions their spawning migration (November- rather irregular during the rest of the held in France were organized by December). year. IFREMER on glass eel stock assess- ment methodologies and silver eel A flat bottom boat in aluminum has Th e p r o j e c t stock assessment and fishing methods. been provided by the project along with a sieve device to assess the upstream The overall objective of the project was The project provided the services of migration of glass eels (June-July) in to assist the Tunisian government in four international consultants with the two rivers. achieving sustainable development of the following expertise, namely: (i) eel European eel fisheries and aquaculture stock assessment; (ii) fishing technology Co n c l u s i o n s a n d in fresh and brackish waters, by (glass eel and silver eel); (iii) eel nursery r e c o m m e n da t i o n s setting-up the base for a national technique (aquaculture); and (iv) eel programme which would evaluate stock assessment and experience in the Tunisia has approached FAO for advice the status of such resources within Mediterranean Sea. on best practices for a sustainable the framework of the international development of European eel fisheries management of the species. The project Through the support of FAO, an eel and aquaculture. Throughout the was based on two key components, nursery was assembled by an Italian execution of this project, Tunisia namely: (i) the aquaculture compo- private company SCUBLA, in the area has acquired enough experience to nent, i.e. grow-out of the European eel of Boumhel El Bassatine, just outside implement a national strategy for the from wild glass eel stage to elver; and Tunis (Figure 2). National technicians sustainable development of eel fisheries (ii) the stock assessment component have been trained by an international and aquaculture. As a follow up, which estimates the status of European consultant/expert on eel aquaculture Tunisia should take the responsibility eel in the Tunisian waters. on the use of the nursery to produce to address the following priorities: (1) eels from wild glass eel to elvers. The a recovery plan for the eel stock should These two components are first production cycle was started at the be compiled and implemented as a interdependent due to the fact that end of the project. matter of utmost urgency; (2) fishing the elvers, produced through the and other anthropogenic mortality aquaculture component, have been

Figure 2. Eel nursery in Boumhel El Bassatine, Tunisia V. CRESPI, FAO

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should be reduced to the lowest possible level; (3) monitoring of recruitment, stocks, fisheries and escapees should be sustained; (4) Tunisia should report annually on status and trend of local eel population, fisheries and aquaculture to the ICES/EIFAC Working Group.

Project staff. From left: A. Dorgham (National Consultant - Aquaculture), V. Crespi (FAO Fishery Resources Officer), M. Nadhif (Director of GIPP), and M. El Manouchi (National Consultant - Fisheries)

The FAO Aquaculture Fact Sheet

The Fact Sheet collections produced by the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department are continuously growing. Three collections have been produced and stored within the Aquaculture Gateway Page

http://www.fao.org/fishery/aquaculture

In 2003, the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department launched the Cultured Aquatic Species Infor- mation Programme (CASIP). The program consists of the preparation The third Fact Sheets collection is of a series of technical fact sheets on composed of the National Aquacul- 91 National Aquaculture Sector the most important commercially ture Legislation Overviews (NALO). Overviews (NASO) have been species produced by aquaculture. The NALOs consist of a series of published on the FAO website so far The cultured species fact sheets are country reports on aquaculture and are available at: written in simple technical language laws and regulations, prepared http://www.fao.org/fishery/naso/search and focus on the practical aspects of by the Fisheries and Aquaculture aquaculture, from seed supply and Department in collaboration with the NASO collection provides a general the principal farming systems used Development Law Service. overview of aquaculture aspects and worldwide to the raising, harvesting related issues at the national level for and marketing of farmed species. The 42 NALOs have been published on FAO member countries. The NASOs main objective of this program is to the internet so far and are available contain detailed information on improve the knowledge of marine and at: the history of aquaculture; human freshwater organisms of current and http://www.fao.org/fishery/nalo/search resources involved in the sector; main potential interest to aquaculture. farming systems and cultured species The three above described fact sheet contributing to national production; 50 Fact Sheets have been published collections are being translated in graphs showing reported production on the internet so far and are available five FAO official languages (Arabic, statistics; description of the main at: Chinese, English, French and Spanish) domestic markets and trade; and http://www.fao.org/fishery culturedspecies/ and many of them are already available national development trends and search in several languages. issues.

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