Monday 18/November/2024 – 01:21 PM
Ministry announced AgricultureFor the first time, Egypt obtained a share of the swordfish catch in the Mediterranean at 125 tons annually starting in 2025.
Agriculture confirmed that, within the framework of the Egyptian state’s keenness, represented by the Agency for the Protection and Development of Lakes and Fisheries, to develop and sustain Egyptian fisheries and preserve resources and livelihoods for Egyptians and coastal communities, an Egyptian delegation consisting of the agency’s work team and the National Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Company participated in the activities of the annual conference. The 24th International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas – ICAT – was held in Limassol, Cyprus.
For the first time, Egypt obtains a share of the Mediterranean swordfish catch of 125 tons annually
Major General Hussein Farhat, Executive Director of the Lakes and Fisheries Protection and Development Authority, praised the efforts of the Egyptian work team over the previous years, starting with increasing Egypt’s annual quota of bluefin tuna to more than 500 tons, then allocating a quota of albacore fish of up to 150 tons.
He pointed out that the Egyptian work team has continued over the past years to ask the organization to allocate a share of swordfish, as Egypt has committed over the past years to providing the fishing plan and historical fishing data to boats, as well as the measures taken to preserve the stock of this species in the Mediterranean, commenting: Finally, all May the team’s efforts succeed in allocating a quota of 125 tons of swordfish starting in 2025.
Proposed conservation measures for sharks and rays
The head of the compliance session also praised the efforts made by the Egyptian team in terms of commitment to all conservation and management measures and compliance with all the organization’s requirements, as all reports were sent on the specified dates and commitment to using the latest forms and completing all required data, in addition to compliance with the administrative and organizational measures and the organization’s work recommendations. Other delegations praised the effective role of the Egyptian delegation and sponsorship of some decisions submitted by countries, including a proposal for measures to preserve sharks and rays.
The Egyptian delegation, headed by Dr. Doaa Hammam, Director General of International Agreements, included Brigadier General Bassam Yousry and Engineer Fatima Al-Zahraa Muhammad in attendance, in addition to the agency’s work team and professors from the National Institute of Marine Sciences and Fisheries participating virtually via video conference technology.
It is worth noting that the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas – ICAT – was established in 1966, and is concerned with the conservation and management of Atlantic tuna and related species by regulating fishing frameworks, developing regulatory measures for member states, as well as studying fish stocks for these species and distributing quotas to member states. There are 53 countries.
