info.afrindex.com
China-Africa Trade Information Service
info.afrindex.com
China-Africa Trade Information Service
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Tunisia maintains a Mediterranean coastline of 1,350 km with a national maritime domain of 80,000 km2 and 105,200 ha of lagoons. However, while Tunisia has long been a country of sailors and fishing, aquaculture remains a niche industry, accounting for 12% of total fishery production value and 2,000 direct jobs.
The beginning of Tunisia's modern aquaculture industry began in the 1960s with a government-established shellfish farm. The first private hatchery of Sea Bass "Dicentrarchus labrax" and Sea Bream "Sparus aurata" was later established in the in the 1980s. Fattening of Bluefin Tuna "Thunnus thynnus" was launched in 2003, and recent years have been marked by the expansion of floating and submersible cages for Sea Bass and Sea Bream.
Production
Tunisia's aquaculture production rose from a small 140 MT in 1987 to 15,200 MT in 2016, valued at $75 million. The leading products in terms of quantity and value are sea bass and sea bream.
At present, there are roughly 50 companies involved in aquaculture production:
Shellfish farming: 12 private companies
Bluefin tuna fattening: 5 private companies
Other marine fish farming: 20 private companies
Inland fish farming: 15 private companies
Most shellfish production is concentrated in northern Tunisia, particularly in the Bizerte governorate's lagoon, using both breeding tables and floating lines.
The primary marine aquaculture production area is in the Monastir governorate, along Tunisia's eastern shore. Marine aquaculture is practiced using modern and innovative techniques, whether in concrete facilities with a density of 60 kg/m3 or in floating cages on the high seas. Alevin are exclusively imported for sea bass and sea bream production while bluefin tuna are imported for fattening. Inland aquaculture is mostly practiced in the Beja governorate producing freshwater fish, including thinlp mullet (Liza Ramado), common carp (Cyprinus Carpio), zander (Stizostedion Lucioperca), and flathead grey mullet (Mugil Cephalus). Inland aquaculture consists of incorporating alevin in dams, some of which are imported and others of which are bred locally.
Industry points to ineffective disease controls and poor feed quality as causes for below average performance within the aquaculture sector. Industry also indicates the sector is not well organized in terms of value chain integration, relying exclusively on middlemen to get acquaculture products from the farm to the marketplace.
