FIAP/C1196 (E) FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular ISSN 2070-6065 ASSESSMENT OF THE COMMERCIAL CHAIN OF BIVALVES IN EGYPT COVER PHOTOGRAPH: © FAO/ATIF MEGAHED, GAFRD FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular FIAP/C1196 (E) ASSESSMENT OF THE COMMERCIAL CHAIN OF BIVALVES IN EGYPT by Dario Pinello Fisheries economist/consultant to FAO NISEA – Fisheries and Aquaculture Economic Research Salerno, Italy Mark Dimech Senior fishery and aquaculture officer FAO Abu Dhabi Atif Megahed Manager of fisheries General Authority for Fish Resources Development (GAFRD) Egypt Hesham El Gazzar Officer General Authority for Fish Resources Development (GAFRD) Egypt FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 2020 Pinello, D., Dimech, M., Megahed, A. & El Gazzar, H. 2020. Assessment of the commercial chain of bivalves in Egypt. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular No.1196. Rome, FAO. 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FAO information products are available on the FAO website (www.fao. org/publications) and can be purchased through [email protected]. Requests for commercial use should be submitted via: www.fao.org/contact-us/licence-request. Queries regarding rights and licensing should be submitted to: [email protected]. iii PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT In recent years, the FAO regional project EastMed (Scientific and Institutional Cooperation to Support Responsible Fisheries in the Eastern Mediterranean) has supported a number of activities to investigate the feasibility of exploiting clams off the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. A preliminary survey conducted in 2013 showed that unexploited clam resources (including Chamelea gallina) exist in shallow coastal waters and that these resources could support a potential small fishery based on the conversion of small trawlers. The idea of converting trawlers to fish for clams was particularly welcomed by Egypt because of the overcapacity of the trawl fleet and the overfished status of demersal fish resources. Upon the demonstration of the potential for the development of a new fishery, the present market chain study was launched to better understand the current situation of the bivalve fisheries in Egypt and the potential to successfully introduce new products to the local markets. The study was funded and executed by EastMed (GCP/INT/318/EC –041/ITA/TD-00) in close collaboration with the General Authority for Fish Resources Development of Egypt (GAFRD). iv ABSTRACT Fisheries represent an important source of employment and income for Egypt, especially in coastal communities. Seafood has traditionally been an important component of the Egyptian diet and is the main source of cheap animal protein for a growing population. The country has a strong need to diversify the activity of its fishing fleet in order to alleviate the pressure exerted by trawling on demersal resources, while maintaining the current employment rates and average salary per fisher. As a result, there has been strong political pressure to find alternative fishing opportunities. A more structured exploitation of bivalve species in the Mediterranean has been identified as one potential alternative to bottom trawling. However, there was a significant dearth of knowledge about the bivalve fisheries and the related market dynamics in Egypt. This study provided a first assessment of the bivalve fisheries value chain and the number of fishers, fishing techniques, production, employment, income and all the related commercial activities. Based on the results of this study, the estimated number of fishers involved in the activity, both on a part-time and full-time basis, ranged between 2 600 and 7 300. It was estimated that the total production ranges between a minimum of 3 000 tonnes and a maximum of 21 000 tonnes per year and the revenue generated was estimated to be between USD 4.3 million and USD 18.5 million. This guaranteed an average yearly remuneration per fisher that ranged between about USD 100 and USD 4 000, depending on the area and the type of activity. In total, about 75 wholesalers and 24 auctioneers/wholesalers were identified who dealt partially or mainly with bivalves. About 10 to 15 of them were highly specialized in bivalves. The study also identified that bivalves are commonly present in fish markets, with several bivalve species already well-known to consumers, and that the market conditions are ripe for new bivalves species. Several issues were identified as requiring management attention in order to optimize the use of bivalve resources in Egypt, including the need for appropriate regulatory systems, improvements in harvesting techniques and post-harvesting processes to improve the quality and value of the products. v CONTENTS Preparation of this document iii Abstract iv Abbreviations and acronyms vi Executive summary vii 1. Introduction and background 1 1.1 Objectives 1 1.2 Introduction to value chain analysis 1 1.3 Overview of the national context 2 1.3.1 National macroeconomic context 3 1.3.2 Institutional and legal context 4 1.3.3 Fisheries administration 4 1.3.4 Egyptian fisheries in the Mediterranean 4 1.3.5 Bivalve fisheries in Egypt 5 1.4 Description of the products 8 1.4.1 Donax trunculus 8 1.4.2 Ruditapes decussatus 8 1.4.3 Paphia textile 9 1.4.4 Venerupis pullastra 9 1.4.5 Chamelea gallina 10 1.4.6 Litophaga litophaga 10 2. Study methodology and approach 11 2.1 Preparation for the survey 11 2.2 Approach 11 2.3 Limitations 12 2.4 Collection of the data 12 3. Results 14 3.1 General description of the fisheries 14 3.1.1 Estimation of the fishers involved in the activity 15 3.1.2 Estimation of the activity 16 3.1.3 Estimation of the production 17 3.1.4 Costs and economic performance 19 3.1.5 Marketing 21 3.2 Description of the different areas identified 23 3.2.1 Area 1: Alexandria 23 3.2.2 Area 2: Edku to Port Said 24 3.2.3 Area 3: Ismailia 24 4. Trade 25 4.1 Description of the business context 25 5. Descriptive value chain per area 26 6. Conclusions and recommendations 30 7. References 34 Appendix 1: Description of the commercial bivalves species present in Egypt 35 Appendix 2: Study questionnaire 37 Appendix 3: Second-stage study questionnaire 46 vi ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS CLAR Central Laboratory for Aquaculture Research EGP Egyptian Pound EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FTE Full-time equivalent (jobs) GAFRD General Authority for Fish Resources Development GAMI General Authority for Maritime Inspection GAVS General Authority for Veterinary Services GDP Gross domestic product NIOF National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries PPP Purchasing Power Parity USD United States Dollar The conversion factor utilised in the analysis refers to 2015 and was the following: 1 USD = EGP 7.83 All dollar amounts are United States dollars, unless otherwise indicated. All the monetary figures are without taxes, unless otherwise specified. vii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Fisheries represent an important source of employment and income for Egypt, especially in coastal communities. Seafood has traditionally been an important component of the Egyptian diet and is the main source of cheap animal protein for a growing population.