3. INLAND FISHERY RESOURCES AND THE FISHING INDUSTRY

Jordan forms a part of the Arabian plateau which is in the arid zone with limited rainfall. Most of the streams and large springs in the country are seasonal. The major rivers and springs are in the north and north-western part of the country. There are no natural lakes, except the Dead Sea (51,000 ha) which, due to the very high salinity, is unproductive of fish. The possibilities of inland fishery development under such conditions are not great, but a close study reveals that considerable quantities of fish, which are badly needed in the country can be produced by proper utilization of the available resources.

3.1 Rivers

As was mentioned above, most of the streams and large springs are in a limited area of the north and north-western part of the country and primarily belong to the Jordan River system. A few belong to the water system of the Dead Sea.

The Jordan River system has about 470 ha of water surface with a total average flow of 1,750 million m³ per year. Flow data of the main tributaries of the river are shown in Table I.

The Dead Sea system has about 80 ha of water surface with a total average flow of about 117.0 million m³ per year. The main tributaries of the Dead Sea are on the east bank.

Table I

Flow Data of the Jordan River Tributaries

MCM = Million cubic metres per year
T = Total flow in million cubic metres per year
P = Maximum peak record in cubic metres per second
B = Base flow in MCM/year
F = Flood flow in MCM/year

On the west bank there is only the Ein Fashka spring which is close to the shore. The average discharge of Ein Fashka spring is about 500/1 per second.

The Azraq water system is very small and limited to a swamp area of about 100 ha. In this area are the following springs:

Besides these main tributaries and springs, there are many other springs which belong to the Jordan River or Dead Sea systems, which can be used for fish production. The list of such springs are given below in Table II.

Table II

Springs Suitable for Fish production

It should be mentioned that water from most of the above springs are utilized at present either for irrigation or for human consumption.

The natural productivity of the waters in Jordan has not yet been studied, but they can be assumed to be very productive in view of the favourable climatic and other conditions, especially in the Jordan Valley, where the average atmospheric and water temperature in winter is about 15°C. Most of the waters in Jordan have a high content of Cl', which may affect the natural productivity. The available data on water quality in the Jordan River and its tributaries are given in Table III.

3.2 Ponds

The first attempt to establish a fish farm in Jordan was made by the Research Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of Jordan in 1964. In November 1962 under a bilateral agreement between the Government of Jordan and the United Kingdom, Mr. C.J.H. Simpson, Fisheries officer, Uganda, visited Jordan and prepared a tentative plan for constructing a set of fish ponds in the W. Yabis Agricultural Station and formulated a pilot scheme of studies to:

• find out the yield of fish per unit,
• examine the economics of fish production,
• determine the economics of water use,
• provide a supply of fish for future stocking,
• work out marketing and transportation procedures, and
• instruct staff and future fish farmers.

Mr. Simpson proposed that FAO provide an expert to carry out experimental work. The farm was built according to the diagrammatic layout given by Mr. Simpson in his report, but the actual site selected at the Agricultural Station for the construction of the farm happened to be an elevated area with sandy or gravelly bottom and a very high rate of seepage. As the ponds are situated on a higher level, the springs in W. Yabis Station cannot be utilized for irrigating them.

Table III

Quality of Water of Jordan River and its Tributaries
(from “Yarmouk-Jordan Valley Project”. Volume IV, Part 2, Quality of Water)

Notes: EC = Electrical conductivity
TDS = Total dissolved solids
SSP = Soluble sodium percentage
SAR = Sodium adsorption ratio

Conductivity: C1 = Low salinity water
C2 = Medium salinity water
C3 = High salinity water
C4 = Very high salinity water

Sodium: S1 = Low sodium water
S2 = Medium sodium water
S3 = High sodium water
S4 = Very high sodium

The Government of Jordan, on the advice of Mr. H. Zo'bi, Fisheries Officer, who was trained for nine months in Syria, imported in January 1965, 10 female and 20 male common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and 15 female and 30 male Tilapia (undetermined species) for culture in the farm. Later in April 1965 the Government imported further stocks of mature common carp (17 females and 43 males). During the spawning season of 1965 this mature stock bred in the spawning ponds and the fingerlings obtained were transferred to the nursery pond and kept till autumn 1965. Because of the high seepage rate and the high cost of water required for the maintainance of an adequate water level in the ponds, it was decided to transfer the fish from the W. Yabis Station to the irrigation reservoir at W. Faraa Agricultural Station. In October 1965 about 5,000 carp fingerlings and some Tilapia were released in the irrigation reservoir in W. Faraa. About 1,000 fingerlings of carp and some Tilapia were left in the nursery pond at W. Yabis Fish Farm.

No records about the yield from ponds in 1965 or details of cultural operations are available.

3.3 Fish Consumption and Supplies

The per capita fish consumption in Jordan was estimated to be about 900 grams in 1964, out of which about 420 grams consisted of fresh fish. Fresh and preserved fish together make up about 30 percent of the animal proteins in Jordanian diets. Considering the low production of fish in the country, this is an appreciably high consumption. The country imports on an average about 1,500 tons of fish per annum.

Fresh-water fish sold in the markets is generally very small and the total quantity does not exceed a ton a year. Carp is practically unknown except in Jerusalem and where sold it fetches a very low price. For example, the price of carp in Jerusalem in October 1966 was 120–160 fils ¹ per kg.

The most preferred fresh-water fish is tilapia (mosht) and it fetches the highest price. Its price is double that of carp, and ranges from 300 to 350 fils per kg. There is no special preference for any particular species of Tilapia and the customer does not distinguish T. zillii, T. galilaea or T. nilotica.

¹ 1000 fils = 1 J.D. = 2.79 US$

3.4 Fisheries Administration and Research Work

In Jordan there is no separate Department, Division or Section responsible for fisheries administration and research. The Veterinary Department in the Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for issuing fishing licenses, registration of fishermen and inspection of sea-fish landings and markets. This Department also collects information on imports and the marketing of fish.

The Research Department of the Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for research work in fisheries. The Experimental Station at W. Yabis is under the administration of this Department, but at present no fishery research is undertaken, due largely to the lack of adequately trained personnel.

The expert is of the view that a separate Division of Fisheries should be established under the Ministry of Agriculture for the effective implementation of programs of fishery research, development and administration. In view of the shortage of adequately trained personnel, and the paucity of training facilities in the country, it is necessary to send abroad an adequate number of candidates with basic qualifications for specialized training. It should be ensured that on return their services are utilized in the fields of their specialization, particularly to train more personnel locally.