Egypt launches 4-year programme to boost sustainbaility in acquaculture

EGYPT – WorldFish, an international organization that creates and translates scientific research on aquatic food systems,  has launched a 4-year research program aimed at increasing the use of renewable energy in the aquaculture sector. 

According to Hilde Klemetsdal, Norwegian Ambassador to Egypt, this project will enable 5,000 fish producers, processors and other players in the fish value chain to increase their productivity and income over time.

“We firmly believe that the sustainable development of aquatic food systems offers immense potential to address the challenges of global food security,” Essam Yassin Mohammed, Director General of WorldFish said.

Funded by Norway, the program will focus on the implementation of a research center called the “Centre for Renewable Energy in Aquaculture” (CeREA). 

“Through CeREA and our partnership with Norway, we are working to put aquaculture on the path to low-emission development for a healthier people and planet.”

In addition, the infrastructure will be devoted to improving, testing and disseminating innovative solutions for the use of renewable energy in aquaculture.

In Egypt, the aquaculture industry is the most developed in Africa. In the country, the sector often uses fossil fuels, particularly in the fish feed industry or for the operation of hatcheries.

Earlier, Egypt started the construction of its first integrated fishing port in the city of Rosetta, on the Mediterranean.

The project, valued at USS$19.4 million, will feature a quay whose capacity is 60 fishing boats per hour, and another dedicated to maintenance. The quay will be equipped with a tugboat whose capacity is over 2,000 tons.

It is also expected to include three factories for ice making, fishing net production, fish processing and freezing as well as workshops for fishing boat maintenance, and storehouses for fishing equipment.

Cameroon to welcome first of its kind fishery

Meanwhile,  Nachtigal Hydro Power Company, which is leading the construction of the Nachtigal dam in central Cameroon, has declared that the development plan for the 1st fishery in a run-of-river dam in Central Africa will be implemented from August 2023.

According to the plan, the fishery should be operational in the 1st quarter of 2024, with a projected productivity of 30 tonnes of fish per year.

The initiative is in line with the government project for the development of industrial fishing on dam waters.

If implemented, this project should help boost local fish production, helping reduce Cameroon’s dependence on imports to meet local demand. Fish and rice in particular worsen the country’s trade balance each year.

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