Algeria: Ahmed Badani Launches 2024 Campaign for Assessing Demersal Fishery Resources

✏️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada

Algiers, Algeria | August 14th, 2024 —Ahmed Badani, Algeria’s Minister of Fisheries and Fishery Productions, inaugurated, on Tuesday,  the 2024 campaign for the assessment of demersal fishery resources along the Algerian coast. Named “ALDEM 2024,” this initiative is designed to evaluate and monitor marine biological stocks within the nation’s waters.

Comprehensive Study Aboard the “Grine Belkacem”

The assessment campaign, led by the research vessel “Grine Belkacem,” is scheduled to last 30 days. A team of 13 marine science researchers from the National Center for Research and Development in Fisheries and Aquaculture (CNRDPA) will conduct the study. Over 40 fish species will be examined through approximately 80 trawl operations at depths ranging from 20 to 800 meters.

Minister Badani outlined the primary objectives of the operation, which include evaluating biological stock levels, updating distribution maps for high-value demersal fishery resources, and analyzing the demographic composition of marine resources. The study will also focus on the distribution of fish, crustaceans, and mollusks across various fishing zones within national waters.

Impact and Future Recommendations

The results from this campaign are expected to yield critical data for developing scientific recommendations on the management, protection, and preservation of marine animal resources. Key outcomes anticipated from the campaign include:

• Calculation of abundance indicators for targeted demersal fish species based on geographical area and depth.
• Provision of water temperature and salinity data.
• Collection of observations on marine mammals.
• Estimation of total waste quantities.

Additionally, Minister Badani addressed the recent decline in small pelagic fish quantities, particularly sardines, which has impacted their market prices. This trend has also been noted in neighboring countries.

Integration with International Protocols

The campaign aligns with the “MEDITS” study protocol, a standardized framework used across Mediterranean countries. This alignment ensures the integration of results and fosters international collaboration with regional organizations such as the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), part of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

Plans for Aquaculture Expansion

In a related development, Minister Badani announced plans to raise 18 million juvenile fish in the latter half of 2024, aiming to reach approximately 35 million by the end of the year. This initiative is expected to introduce 10,000 tons of these fish to Algerian markets in the upcoming year.

During the first half of 2024, nearly 17 million juvenile fish (sea bream and sea bass) were released into 59 floating cages. This effort seeks to balance supply and demand in the national market and achieve fish abundance.

For freshwater aquaculture, the ministry plans to rear 1.2 million juvenile fish in the second half of 2024, following the cultivation of over 1.8 million tilapia in aquaculture ponds and irrigation basins during the first six months of the year.

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