Egypt bans fishing in Red Sea for 7 months

An Egyptian fisherman sits on his boat along the river Nile in Egypt on 16 June 2018 [MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images]

Egypt yesterday banned fishing in the Red Sea for seven months to preserve biodiversity and increase fish production.

The head of the General Authority for Fish Resources Development (GAFRD), Dr. Ayman Ammar, said the fishing season would stop in the Red Sea from February to September.

“The decision aims to achieve biological balance and increase fish production,” Ammar said in remarks reported by Egypt’s Akhbar Al-Youm newspaper.

The official pointed out that catches from the Red Sea make up only three per cent of domestic production or 60,000 tonnes of fish.

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He stressed that the decision will not affect fish prices in the markets.

Last year, Egypt witnessed an increase in fish production following a state-sponsored development plan for the purification of lakes and the expansion of fisheries projects.

The country imports 300,000 tonnes of fish from abroad to meet its needs, according to local media reports.

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