SPC Trochus Information Bulletin #11 – September 2004 5

Review of the trochus fishery in Dr Mohamed Mustafa Eltayeb1

Sudan has a total coastline of about 750 km that Generally speaking, Sudanese Red Sea fisheries are lies in the Red Sea between latitudes 18°N and small-scale fisheries and mainly artisanal. The 22°N (Fig. 1). The widest part of the Red Sea is unemployment rate in coastal areas is very high 306 km and the greatest depth for the central and fishing pressure on the reefs is intense. trough that lies off Port Sudan is 3040 m. Much of the coast is bordered by fringing reefs that are The two main commercial mollusc species in 1–3 km wide and a few meters deep, with occa- Sudan are trochus (Trochus dentatus) and pearl sional depressions (25 m deep or more) such as oyster (Pinctada margaritifera). Although this fish- those north of the harbour entrance at Port Sudan, ery makes a low contribution to the overall at mersas (coastal inlets), and at Tokar Delta. Sudanese economy, it is of importance to coastal people as a source of income and an important The reefs off the Sudanese coast have been source of animal protein found in the fresh fish described as having the highest diversity of habitats markets in coastal areas. and species in the region. The coastal people are semi-nomadic. Fishing is their main activity along The average annual Sudanese trochus (T. dentatus with herding small numbers of goats and camels. and T. virgatus) export between 1970 and 1998 was

Figure 1. The Sudanese Red Sea Coast

1. Department of Biological Oceanography, Faculty of Marine Sciences and Fisheries, Red Sea University, PO Box 24, Port Sudan, Sudan. Email: [email protected] 6 SPC Trochus Information Bulletin #11 – September 2004

521 tonnes (t) per year (Fig. 2) valued at USD official Sudanese T. dentatus export figures show 182,803. T. dentatus forms the backbone of the mol- some interesting trends. In the early 1960s there lusc fishery (Eltayeb 1999). The value of the was a flourishing shell fishery in Sudan and sur- trochus export is equivalent to about 0.042% of the rounding countries. At that time, native Red Sea total value of Sudanese exports (Fig. 3). fishermen of different nationalities would sail their loaded sambouks to the shell markets in According to FAO statistics, between 1980 and Ongoiai and Suakin (Sudan), Mosowa (), 1997, New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands — Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Djibouti (Djibouti), Barbara with an average annual production of 349 and (), Aden (Yemen) and Safaga (). In 578 t, respectively — were the two major trochus these markets, trochus shells collected from all producing countries in the world. Sudan’s average parts of the Red Sea were sold to local business- annual trochus export during the same period was men and traders. However, Ongoiai and Suakin 489 t, indicating that Sudan is among the major shell markets in Sudan were the most important world trochus producers (Figs. 4 and 5). and most favoured by shell fishermen of all nationalities living along the Red Sea (Ali et al. The trochus fishery in Sudan has faced dramatic 1990). This was mainly due to: changes over the past 40 years. An analysis of the • A shell ordinance in 1959 in Sudan, ensuring shell fish- ermen, irrespective of their 1200 nationality or the source of their shells, would get the 1000 best price and the best pro- tection from buyers and brokers. Such arrangements 800 were not available in any other Red Sea market. 600 • During the 1950s, 1960s and to some extent 1970s, the 400 majority of shell fishermen who landed shells in

Trochus exports (t) 200 Ongoiai and Suakin were Saudi (Gihainia tribes), Eritreans and Ethiopians 0 (Danakla tribes) and 0 4 0 2 8 6 2 Yemenis; some were 1974 200 199 1986 199 1966 1968 1970 1972 1976 1980 200 199 1984 1988 199 199 1982 1978 Egyptians and a few were Figure 2. Sudanese. During this Official Sudanese trochus exports from 1966 to 2002 period, foreign fishermen contributed to about 90% of shell landings in Suakin. 0.12 • Foreign fishermen were allowed to buy barter com- 0.10 modities in Sudan using the proceeds from shell sales. 0.08 Often these commodities were difficult to obtain in 0.06 their native countries. • By means of special permits, 0.04 foreign fishermen were allowed to collect shells 0.02 from Sudanese territorial waters and sell them at 0 Ongoiai or Suakin shell 0 2 8 4 6 0 2 markets. 199 199 1970 1972 1986 199 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1988 199 199 200 200 • The central geographical position of Ongoiai and Figure 3. Trochus contribution to overall Suakin along the Red Sea Sudanese exports (in %). had, no doubt, contributed to their importance. SPC Trochus Information Bulletin #11 – September 2004 7

However, during the 1970s, the trochus fishery become commodities of high national and declined, apparently because of the following international demand and were no more avail- reasons: able for bartering. • The government decision to stop involvement • The appearance of plastics and other similar syn- of foreign fishermen in shell trading and fish- thetics that could substitute shells to make but- ing in Sudan and to replace them gradually tons, jewellery and artefacts during the 1960s. with Sudanese. Withdrawal of these fishermen • Sudanese shell fishermen were thought to be deprived Sudan from receiving shells from for- smugglers. Consequently, larger boats capa- eign waters. ble of sailing across international waters were • Crossing national borders had become increas- often confiscated and put out of business. ingly difficult. This limited shell production to national terri- • The Saudi fishermen, rich with oil money, had torial waters. abandoned shell collection. • The closure of the Suakin shell market in 1978. • Almost all the barter commodities that were This became inevitable after withdrawal of for- previously desired by foreign fishermen had eign fishermen from the business, tightening security measures to counteract 2500 smuggling, and the many difficul- ties that Sudanese fishermen faced in collecting shells from other 2000 countries’ shores (mainly Saudi Arabia) (Ali et al. 1990).

1500 In addition to the government restric- tions cited above, traditional fishing grounds have been overexploited 1000 and most of the fishing activity has taken place on barrier reefs and near coral islands, the main trochus habi- 500 Trochus production (t) tat. Therefore, the majority of T. den- tatus collected today are small and the catch per unit effort has 0 decreased. A study (1992 to 1999) T. 1983 1984 1985 1989 1990 1980 1981 1982 1986 1987 1988 1991 1992 1993 1997 1994 1995 1996 indicated increases in the overall dentatus catch in the Red Sea, but Figure 4. World trochus production 1980–1997 careful analysis showed that most of (source: FAO statistics) these T. dentatus were illegally col- lected from Saudi Arabian Red Sea waters. All these factors indicate that 400 Australia the Sudanese T. dentatus fishery may Cook Islands 350 be overexploited. Unless manage- Fiji Islands ment practices are established and French Polynesia 300 implemented, the decline in the catch Guam and, hence, exports of trochus shell 250 Marshall Islands will continue. Micronesia, Fed. States of 200 New Caledonia References Palau 150 Papua New Guinea Ali S.M., Farah O.M. and Elnaiem 100 Solomon Islands A.G. 1990. Mother-of-pearl and Vanuatu trochus production and trade in 50 Wallis and Futuna Sudan and world. Red Sea Sudan Fisheries Research Section, Port 0 Sudan, Sudan. 59 p. Eltayeb M.M. 1999. Some aspects of Figure 5. Trochus dentatus biology, ecology Comparison of average catches (in tonnes) and fisheries in the Sudanese in major trochus producing countries, 1980–1997 (source: FAO statistics). Red Sea Coast. M.Sc. thesis, Note: Sudan figure only shows exports Royal Holloway, University of London.