Today, Wednesday May 26, 2021,
at the seat of the State, under the supervision of Mr. Akram Al-Sebri, the governor of Monastir, and in the presence of Mr. Bashir Attia, Secretary General of the State, in the presence of accredited gentlemen and mayors of the municipalities bordering the sea , and in the presence of representatives of the competent services and representatives of the profession, the meeting of the Regional Committee for the Fight against Indiscriminate Fishing in Monastir was devoted to a presentation to raise the concerns, problems and shortcomings known to the maritime fishing sector. on the one hand, and discuss solutions and present proposals on the other.
The regional governor underlined the importance of the fishing sector in the region and its contribution to the national economy, appreciating the role of the different actors of this vital sector. It authorized the holding of periodic meetings every month and the formation of committees to follow the problems of the sea fishing sector, in particular the follow-up of the expansion project and the preparation of the sea fishing port. Students and problems the most important concerned mainly infrastructure, the wholesale market, protective and safety equipment, and the regulation of entry and exit to the port.
The governor of Monastir also confirmed that coordination is underway with the line ministry in order to add more flexibility with sailors, in particular by regulating the fishing of bluefin tuna banned from being caught by sailors for blue fish, calling the sailors to form a cooperative of seafarers in order to ensure the share of the State of Monastir in bluefin tuna fishing. .
The head of the regional agriculture and fisheries union and representatives of seafarers who attended the committee meeting raised a number of known concerns and issues in the maritime fisheries sector, including those related to the control of sea fishing vessels with lights or trawls, the problems of subsidized fuel supply, and the penalties imposed Sailors, due to accidental fishing of quarry bluefin tuna, the problem of fishing vessels at sea which do not are no longer in service or seized and anchored in the harbor or its surroundings, and issues with fishing vessel documents, captain's driver's license and professional cards of sea fishing vessel workers, as well as requiring the revision of certain laws regulating the maritime fishing sector in order to follow the development of this vital sector.
Ms. Latifa Ben Achiba, Head of the Department of Maritime Fisheries and Livestock at the Regional Delegation for Agricultural Development of Monastir, made a presentation on the development of the marine fishing sector fleet in the region, the evolution the number produced over the years, as well as the problems encountered by the sector.
The fleet of the maritime fishing sector in the state of Monastir is large, as it includes 1,297 units, including fish farming, of which 43% in the fishing port of Tepelba, 26% in Monastir and 18% in the fishing port. of Sayada. This sector also employs 5848 of the working population, of which 53% in motorized coastal fishing, 23% in blue fish fishing and 8% in fish farming.
The fishing sector in the region recorded an increase in production from 2016 to 2019, where 32,963 tonnes were recorded and then declined in 2020 to 28,516 tonnes of fish, of which 52% was blue fish and 37% fish farming. , noting that sea fishing The port of Talibba provides 75% of the fish production landed in the fishing ports of the state of Monastir.
The decline in the production of blue fish is due to the decline of the stock (according to the National Institute of Marine Sciences and Technologies, it is estimated that the stock of blue fish in Tunisian waters decreased in 2018 to 55% of the stock. estimated in 2008), and a decrease in the production of fish farming projects due to the delay in the expansion of the projects, in addition to the delay in the completion of the expansion project of the fishing port of Tabulba, and the exacerbation the phenomenon of overcrowding in it, and the slowness of the completion of the filling works of the port of Balakta, which suffers from a renewed accumulation of algae and sand sediments and the lack of necessary protection in that - here during bad weather and the aging of the fishing port with a fisherman at the level of the unqualified wholesale market And the absence of a ship crane in the port and the absence of necessary protection for the anchored boats during bad weather conditions at the