A working group comprising several sectors recently approved the plan to prepare the marine fisheries in the province of Mostaganem, according to the local director of marine fisheries and fisheries resources.
Mr. Abdelhafidh Zenasni said that this plan, which was approved by the working group consisting of several sectors related to marine fishing and representatives of professionals (the State Chamber of Maritime Fishing and Aquaculture) and associations active in the field, will contribute to the preservation of fisheries wealth and ensure its sustainability and enhance the strategic role of fishing activities in the development of the national economy.
This plan for fishing areas was prepared based on data related to the decline in fish stocks and the increase in demand for fishing products in parallel with the decrease in supply to develop a new strategy based on the sustainable management of fisheries, added the same official.
The same source attributed the decline in marine stocks to overfishing and fishing in prohibited areas or during breeding periods, especially the lack of respect for biological rest periods.
This scheme will be implemented for a period of five years, with annual reports on the efficacy of the measures taken, particularly by analyzing the fishing systems, the state of fish resources, the level of production, areas of aquaculture activity, and environmental, social and economic criteria.
By the end of last year, the marine fleet in Mostaganem reached 248 units, most of which are sardine fishing vessels and purse-net vessels that operate at the ports of Mostaganem, Sidi Lakhdar and Salamander, in addition to 776 recreational fishing units in nine stranding sites, while the number of professionals in the sector exceeded 7,300, most of whom are sailors.
