Lebanon is partnering with the General Fisheries Commission of the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) to support the sustainable development of Lebanese aquaculture.
Lebanon’s Minister of Agriculture, Abbas Mortada, together with the GFCM Executive Secretary, Abdellah Srour, have launched a general census of aquaculture farms gathering information such as size of farms, species raised, products sold and feed, chemicals and antibiotics used.
“We are proud of our strengthened collaboration with FAO and the GFCM,” explained Abbas Mortada. “Increasing the supply of fishery products and knowledge of the value chain will improve the quality of life, create employment and promote food security.”
The census is the latest in a series of collaborative efforts between the GFCM and Lebanon’s Ministry of Agriculture towards sustainable fisheries and aquaculture sectors. A study aimed at improving social protection programmes for small-scale fishers was finished last year, while a trio of projects to support data collection and resources management are currently under way.
The implementation protocol for an experimental trawl survey was also signed by the Minister of Agriculture and the FAO Representative in Lebanon, Maurice Saade. This survey, the first of its kind, will establish a proper monitoring system for fisheries helping the country plan management strategies as well as in complying with monitoring and conservation.
In 2019, the GFCM opened a sub-regional technical unit in Beirut to provide Lebanon with strategic and technical assistance while implementing GFCM policies and activities.
