Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

GENERAL ECONOMIC DATA

FISHERIES DATA

Commodity balance (1994):

STRUCTURE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INDUSTRY

Marine fisheries

The catch sector in the Jamahiriya comprises four major activities: artisanal coastal fishing, lampara fishing, coastal trawling, and tonnara fishing. Sponge fishing, purse seining, tuna longlining, and distant-water fishing are minor areas of production. Most of the catch is taken by artisanal boats working with nets (trammel nets and gillnets) or hooks (longlines and handlines), and by the lampara fleet fishing for small pelagics. A total of 3 477 artisanal craft were counted during the national landing site survey conducted in late 1993. These craft are based at 129 beach, anchorage, and harbour landing sites along the coastline, with heavier concentrations through the western stretches. Seventy-five landing sites are permanent (all year operation) bases, and 54 seasonal. Artisanal fleet units include 2 463 craft of Ģ10 m LOA, whilst 1 014 are of >10 m LOA. Approximately two-thirds of the smaller craft are motorized, usually with outboard engines in the l0-35 hp range. The larger units are decked vessels and are all fitted with inboard engines. Most work as gillnetters, except for those used in the lampara fishery. The lampara fleet comprises about 130 motorized vessels ranging up to 18 m in length. During active fishing times, mostly in the summer, each unit teams up with one or two smaller lamp boats, known as dhgaissa, which are non-motorized and are towed along on nightly trips to and from the fishing grounds. Lampara fishing is concentrated along the western section of the coastline, between Misurata and the Tunisian border. Tuna fishing is carried out mainly using tonnaras or set nets which extend 3-5 km out from the coast. Tonnara fishing was much more common in the past, with as many as 18 stations reportedly in operation before the Second World War. Five stations now remain, only three of which were active during the 1995 season (June and July). These are located at Zletin, Zreq and Dzirah. The industrial fishing fleet is composed of 91 units, most of which are steel stern trawlers. Lengths vary from 13 to 33 m LOA, and engine power ranges from 165 to 950 hp. Thirty-one of the trawlers, one tuna longliner, and five tuna purse seiners are owned by the State company NAFIMCO (National Fishing and Marketing Company). The remaining 54 trawlers are owned privately, either by individuals or partnerships. Sponge harvesting was a major activity during the 1950s and 1960s, especially along the eastern part of the coast between Benghazi and Tubruk. After a period of drastic decline owing to disease outbreaks in the beds and the withdrawal of labour from the fishery, sponge harvesting is slowly beginning to pick up again. Total production from Libyan waters was reported to be 33 469 mt in 1994, with a value of LD 45.2 million. This production consisted of around 15 500 mt of small pelagics (sardine, mackerel, horse mackerel, and bogue), some 1 500 mt of tuna from the tonnara fishery and about 16 000 mt mixed demersal species (mainly red mullet, breams, and groupers). The official figures do not include catches of unlicensed foreign trawlers operating in and out of more remote sections of Libyan waters. These catches may contribute a further 3 000 mt of demersal species (estimated). Of several joint fishing ventures started in the late 1970s, the Libyan-Spanish Fishing Co. (LISPAFISH) remains the most active. The company is based in Las Palmas and engages in some minor level fishing off the West African coast. Reported production in 1994 was 1 237 mt, valued at LD 5.4 million. Currently, LISPAFISH is mainly concerned with importing canned and frozen fish for sale on the domestic market. Twenty-four marine fishery cooperatives (jamaias) have been established at major fishing centres along the coast with the aim of providing supplies of essential gear and spare parts to the artisanal sector. Membership in local jamaias is open to all fishers who have valid boat licenses issued by the Secretariat of Marine Wealth (SMW). With headquarters in Sirte, the SMW was established in 1988 as a separate ministry responsible for all administration, planning, management, research, and development activities for the fisheries and aquaculture sectors. It is constituted under the authority of the Secretary of Marine Wealth, to whom the Committee Affairs Office and the Under-secretary report. The Legal Office and the Under-secretary Assistant for Finance and Administration report through the Under-secretary, as does the Under-secretary Assistant. There are six general departments: Finance and Administration; Technical Affairs; Training and Labour force Development; Harbours and Marine Wealth Protection; Production and Marketing; and Planning, Follow-up, and Technical Cooperation. Constituent agencies of the SMW include: the Marine Biology Research Centre (MBRC); the National Fishing and Marketing Co. (NAFIMCO); the National Canning Co. (NACACO); LISPAFISH; the Harbour and Landing Site Bureau; the General Aquaculture Development Authority (GADA, together with its operational arm, the Aquaculture Projects Corporation or APC); the Marine Sport Clubs Project; and the Information and Data Documentation Centre. Parts of the SMW were restructured in 1995 and consequently some departments and agencies are still being consolidated, including the new SMW Information and Documentation Centre (Sirte HQ) and the new SMW local administrative committee system covering nine coastal zones (Tunisian border - Zawia; Janzour - Tajura; Tajura -Qasr Khiar; Khoms - Tawarghah; Hisha - Bueirat El Hassun; Sirte - Shat El Badin; Shat El Badin - Benghazi - Addirsiyah; El Ogla - Derna; Derna - Egyptian border).

Inland fisheries

Inland fisheries in the Jamahiriya are negligible. Free stocking (carp and some tilapia) was carried out in the past at Wadi Kaam (Khoms/Zliten area) and Wadi Mjinine (Tripoli area) reservoirs, and more recently carp have been stocked in Abou Dzira Lake near Benghazi. Results thus far do not indicate much potential for commercial production.

Aquaculture

Limited inland (freshwater) aquaculture has been attempted at several sites on a pilot basis over the past two decades, though production remains minimal. Minor cage culture of tilapia is carried out at Abou Dzira Lake. A project to raise tilapia and other species using waste irrigation water from an agricultural scheme at Brak El-Shati in the desert some 650 km south of Tripoli, was started in the late 1980s but is now dormant. A good deal of emphasis has been put on promoting mariculture since 1990. Pilot/trial stations have been established at Ain Kaam (near Khoms), Ain Ziana (near Benghazi), and Ain El Ghazala (near Tobruk). Work at Ain Kaam has involved brackishwater cage culture of mullet and red tilapia, and a shrimp hatchery. The lagoon at Ain Ghazala has been used for cage culture of sea bass, sea bream, mullet, and eels, and some cultivation of mussel has also been carried out on a trial basis. A major new hatchery and grow-out pond complex is now under construction at Ain Ziana. Trial mussel rearing was attempted at Farwa Lagoon (near the Tunisian border) a few years ago, but was not successful. New attempts to establish cage farming and shellfish cultivation at Farwa are reportedly being planned.

Utilization of the catch

Five fish canning plants belonging to The National Company for Fish Canning (NACACO) are currently in operation in Zuwara, Sabratah, Jansur, Khoms, and Benghazi. Apart from Benghazi, all the plants also produce fishmeal. According to official SMW figures, production from NACACO operations in 1994 was 2 100 mt of canned tuna and sardine valued at LD 8.4 million, and 330 mt of fishmeal valued at LD 200 000. NACACO are building two new canning plants at Sabratah and Zletin, with a total installed capacity of 90 mt/day (live weight) for tuna and sardine, and 75 mt/day (live weight) for fishmeal. Smaller canning operations are run by private partnerships at Sabratah (1), and Misurata (2). Facilties for receiving and handling fish have improved considerably, especially over the last two years. Most major landing and marketing centres are now served by ice plants and cold and chill storage facilities, although up keep and maintenance problems exist in some cases. Field survey work carried out along the coast during 1993-94 provided the following figures for public and private fish handling and storage installations: 20 ice plants; 28 containerized cold stores/chillrooms, 10 cold stores/ freezing plants. Considerable efforts have also been made to improve distribution and marketing of fresh fish, including networks in the southern parts of the country, which in the past did not have ready access to fish products. Twelve chill stores have been installed at settlements in the south, and 15 refrigerated trucks have been placed in service to haul fish products inland from coastal points. In addition, some 50 refrigerated vans equipped as mobile fish shops are now operating around the country. However, the fact remains that most of the national population and most fish consumers live in the towns and cities along the coast, particularly in Tripoli and Benghazi. Almost all of the domestic catch is sold fresh on these large urban market areas, though higher value fish such as groupers, large breams, red mullets, and cephalopods tend to enter the export market for distribution to Tunisia and Italy.

State of the Industry

Although the SMW has devoted substantial resources to improving the harvest and post-harvest sectors, particularly in the areas of landing site and harbour development and processing plants, national fisheries still perform well below their true potential. Only around one quarter of the industrial fleet units are known to be active. Most State and private units remain out of operation due to crew shortages and lack of spare parts and repair facilities. Similar problems affect the artisanal fishing fleet units, only about half of which are currently in active service. At the same time, the post-harvest industry suffers from various shortcomings in raw material handling practices and processing operations, which tend to inhibit effective product utilization and adequate quality management. The SMW has established 12 fisheries training centres at different sites along the coast since 1990. So far some 1 300 trainees have graduated from the centres. As only a relatively small number of these graduates actually seem to go into fisheries, the industry tends to remain heavily dependent on foreign labour. Until recently, there has been a lack of reliable information on the following basic aspects of the industry: the overall resource picture; the composition of the national fleet and gear fitting; essential socio-economic features of the artisanal fishery; aquaculture production problems and prospects; the operation of the post-harvest sector, including fish handling and processing practices; and product distribution, and marketing. Although a start has now been made to correct this situation, adequate systems are still not in place for gathering and reporting routine fisheries statistics and information.

Economic role of the fishing industry

The considerable growth in productive and processing-marketing capacity over the last ten or twenty years ago is not yet fully reflected in the overall volume or value outputs of the fisheries industry. The 1993 coastal fisheries survey estimated that the artisanal production sector provides direct full-time or part-time employment for around 4 500 small-craft owners and crew and around 5 000 mostly part-time "foot fishers" working along the shore by hook-and-line, gillnet, castnet, and hand collection. A further estimated 150 people are employed in the industrial fishing sector. Secondary sector employment in servicing and support activities at major landing sites is reckoned to involve about 250-300 part-time and full-time people. The post-harvest industry is estimated to provide direct employment for some 2 000 processing plant workers, fish traders, and technical personnel. An additional 550 personnel are associated with official fisheries administration, research/development, and operational agencies. With a primary and secondary productive employment base of around 12 000 people, the national fisheries sector provides for only a very small fraction - around 1% - of the total labour force for the country, now reckoned to be a little over one million. Likewise, the estimated contribution of fisheries to Agricultural GDP is fairly negligible, standing at around 10% or so. To put this into overall perspective, in a national economy heavily dominated by the oil sector, the entire agriculture sector itself only contributes an estimated 6% to total GDP.

DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS