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The Present Situation of the Fisheries Sector in Iraq: A Critical Review

Year 2023, Volume: 6 Issue: 1, 70 - 75, 04.07.2023
https://doi.org/10.46384/jmsf.1216078

Abstract

In this review, the status of fisheries in Iraq is described. Iraq has two main water resources, the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, forming a water area of approximately 700,000 hectares. Surface waters are distributed as natural lakes (39%), dam lakes (13.3%), and rivers and their tributaries (3.7%). On the other hand, marshes constitute 44% of the water sources in Iraq. The Iraqi government began recording fish production from wild and aquaculture in 1986. Total fish production from freshwaters in Iraq in 1991 and 1998 were 18,800 and 30,000 tons, respectively. In 2020, the total fish production in Iraq reached to 241,848 tons (Anonymous, 2022a). The bulk of fish production belonged to carps followed by barbs (genus Barbus) and trouts. With respect to capture fishing in Iraq, a variety of trawl nets (single-bag and multi-bag) and gillnets have commonly been used. The 1970s and 1980s were characterized by low consumption of fish meat (i.e., 4.3 kg in 1979), but it has gradually increased over the last years and has reached a remarkable 10 kg per capita in 2020. In this review, freshwater and marine fish species, aquaculture production and wild catch, institutions and centers specialized in researching and developing fisheries, fish meat consumption, problems of the fishing industry and potential solutions to develop the fishing industry in Iraq are outlined. This is the first study on the present status of fisheries in Iraq.

References

  • Ababneh, M., Hananeh, W., & Alzghoul, M. (2020). Mass mortality associated with koi herpesvirus in common carp in Iraq, Heliyon, 6: e04827
  • Abood, A. N., & Mohamed, A. R. M. (2020). The current status of inland fisheries in Basrah province, Iraq. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies, 8(5), 120-127.
  • Al-Helli, A.M., Resen, A.K., & Ali, A.H. (2019). Fish Assemblage in the Euphrates River at Al-Samawa City, Southern Iraq. Basrah Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 32: 33–46
  • Al-Humairi1, K.O.M., Tameemi., Riyadh, A.A., & Al-Noor, S.S. (2020). Growth performance and feed efficiency assessment of two groups of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) cultivated in Iraq. Basrah Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 33(1): 189-199
  • Al-Jubouri, M.O.A., & Mohamed, A.B.M (2019). Some Biological Aspects of Al - Shabbot Arabibarbus grypus (Heckel, 1843) in Al-Diwanyia River, Middle of Iraq. Journal of University of Babylon for Pure and Applied Sciences, 27(2): 306-316
  • Anonymous, (2022a). Yearly fishery statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture in Iraq, the General Directorate of Animal resources, Fish Resources Directorate.
  • Anonymous, (2022b). Yearly fishery statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and water resources in Iraqi Kurdistan, the General Directorate of Animal resources, Fish Resources Directorate.
  • FAO, (2019). The State of Food and Agriculture 2019. Moving forward on food loss and waste reduction. Rome. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. https://www.fao.org/3/ca6030en/ca6030en.pdf.
  • FAO, (2020). The State of Food and Agriculture 2019. Moving forward on food loss and waste reduction. Rome. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. https://www.fao.org/3/ca6030en/ca6030en.pdf.
  • FAO, (2022). Fishery and Aquaculture Country Profiles. Iraq. Country Profile Fact Sheets. Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, Rome.
  • Grafton, R.Q. (2010). Adaptation to climate change in marine capture fisheries. Marine Policy, 34(3): 606-615
  • Jaradat, A.A. (2002). Agriculture in Iraq: Resources, Potentials, Constraints, and Research Needs and Priorities. Department of State, Middle East Working Group on Agriculture October 5-6, Washington, DC, USA.
  • Maaruf, H.T. & Akbay, C. (2020). Economic Analysis of Fish Farming in the Northern Region of Iraq. KSU Journal of Agriculture and Nature, 23(5): 1257-1269
  • Mohamed, M.A.R., Hussain, N.A., Al-Noor, S.S., Mutlak, F.M., Al-Sudani, I. M., Mojer, A. M., Toman, A. J. & Abdad, M. A. (2008). Fish assemblage of restored Al-Hawizeh marsh, Southern Iraq. Ecohydrology and Hydrobiology, 8(2-4): 375-384
  • Nasir, N.A.N., & Khalid, S. A.R. (2013). A Statistic Survey of Marine and Freshwater Fish Catch in Basrah, Iraq 1990 – 2011. Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research, 31(1): 1-9
  • Taher, M.M. (2011). Catch rates of marine fish species from Shatt Al- Basrah Canal, Southern Iraq. Iraqi Journal of Aquaculture, 8(2): 95- 108
  • Wikimedia Commons (2023). Iraq rivers and governorates. Access date: October 19, 2022. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iraq_rivers_and_governorates.png
  • World Bank (2020). The 2022 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) October 10 and October 16 in the IMF and World Bank Group headquarters, in Washington DC. https://www.worldbank.org/en/meetings/splash/annual

Irak'ta Balıkçılık Sektörünün Günümüzdeki Durumu: Eleştirel Bir Derleme

Year 2023, Volume: 6 Issue: 1, 70 - 75, 04.07.2023
https://doi.org/10.46384/jmsf.1216078

Abstract

Bu derlemede Irak'taki balıkçılığın günümüzdeki durumu anlatılmaktadır. Irak, yaklaşık 700.000 hektarlık bir su alanı oluşturan Dicle ve Fırat Nehirleri olmak üzere iki ana su kaynağına sahiptir. Bu su kaynaklarının %39’unu doğal göller, %13,3’ünü baraj gölleri ve %3,7’sini akarsular ve kolları oluşturmaktadır. Öte yandan, Irak'taki su kaynaklarının %44'ünü bataklıklar teşkil etmektedir. Irak hükümeti, 1986'da (4.000 ton) doğal ve su ürünleri yetiştiriciliğinden elde edilen balık üretimini kaydetmeye başlanıştır. Irak'ta tatlı sulardan elde edilen toplam balık üretimi 1991 ve 1998 yıllarında sırasıyla 18.800 ve 30.000 ton olmuştur. Ayrıca, 2020 yılında Irak'ta toplam balık üretimi 241.848 tona ulaşmıştır. Balık üretiminin büyük bir kısmı sazandan elde edilir. Bunu Barbus ailesi ve alabalık takip etmektedir. Irak'ta balık avlamak için farklı tipte trol ağları (tek torbalı ve çoklu torbalı) ve uzatma ağları yaygın olarak kullanılmaktadır. 1970'ler ve 1980'ler düşük balık eti tüketiminin olduğu yıllar olmuştur (örneğin, 1979'da 4,3 kg), ancak son yıllarda balık tüketimi kademeli olarak artmış ve 2020'de 10 kg'a ulaşmıştır. Bu derlemede, Irak'ta tatlı su ve deniz balıkları türleri, su ürünleri üretimi ve doğadan avlanma, su ürünleri araştırma ve geliştirme konusunda uzmanlaşmış kurum ve merkezler, balık eti tüketimi, balıkçılık endüstrisinin sorunları ve Irak'ta balıkçılık endüstrisinin geliştirilmesi için olası çözümler ana hatlarıyla belirtilmiştir. Bu derleme Irak'ta balıkçılığın durumuna ilişkin ilk çalışmadır.

References

  • Ababneh, M., Hananeh, W., & Alzghoul, M. (2020). Mass mortality associated with koi herpesvirus in common carp in Iraq, Heliyon, 6: e04827
  • Abood, A. N., & Mohamed, A. R. M. (2020). The current status of inland fisheries in Basrah province, Iraq. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies, 8(5), 120-127.
  • Al-Helli, A.M., Resen, A.K., & Ali, A.H. (2019). Fish Assemblage in the Euphrates River at Al-Samawa City, Southern Iraq. Basrah Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 32: 33–46
  • Al-Humairi1, K.O.M., Tameemi., Riyadh, A.A., & Al-Noor, S.S. (2020). Growth performance and feed efficiency assessment of two groups of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) cultivated in Iraq. Basrah Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 33(1): 189-199
  • Al-Jubouri, M.O.A., & Mohamed, A.B.M (2019). Some Biological Aspects of Al - Shabbot Arabibarbus grypus (Heckel, 1843) in Al-Diwanyia River, Middle of Iraq. Journal of University of Babylon for Pure and Applied Sciences, 27(2): 306-316
  • Anonymous, (2022a). Yearly fishery statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture in Iraq, the General Directorate of Animal resources, Fish Resources Directorate.
  • Anonymous, (2022b). Yearly fishery statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and water resources in Iraqi Kurdistan, the General Directorate of Animal resources, Fish Resources Directorate.
  • FAO, (2019). The State of Food and Agriculture 2019. Moving forward on food loss and waste reduction. Rome. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. https://www.fao.org/3/ca6030en/ca6030en.pdf.
  • FAO, (2020). The State of Food and Agriculture 2019. Moving forward on food loss and waste reduction. Rome. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. https://www.fao.org/3/ca6030en/ca6030en.pdf.
  • FAO, (2022). Fishery and Aquaculture Country Profiles. Iraq. Country Profile Fact Sheets. Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, Rome.
  • Grafton, R.Q. (2010). Adaptation to climate change in marine capture fisheries. Marine Policy, 34(3): 606-615
  • Jaradat, A.A. (2002). Agriculture in Iraq: Resources, Potentials, Constraints, and Research Needs and Priorities. Department of State, Middle East Working Group on Agriculture October 5-6, Washington, DC, USA.
  • Maaruf, H.T. & Akbay, C. (2020). Economic Analysis of Fish Farming in the Northern Region of Iraq. KSU Journal of Agriculture and Nature, 23(5): 1257-1269
  • Mohamed, M.A.R., Hussain, N.A., Al-Noor, S.S., Mutlak, F.M., Al-Sudani, I. M., Mojer, A. M., Toman, A. J. & Abdad, M. A. (2008). Fish assemblage of restored Al-Hawizeh marsh, Southern Iraq. Ecohydrology and Hydrobiology, 8(2-4): 375-384
  • Nasir, N.A.N., & Khalid, S. A.R. (2013). A Statistic Survey of Marine and Freshwater Fish Catch in Basrah, Iraq 1990 – 2011. Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research, 31(1): 1-9
  • Taher, M.M. (2011). Catch rates of marine fish species from Shatt Al- Basrah Canal, Southern Iraq. Iraqi Journal of Aquaculture, 8(2): 95- 108
  • Wikimedia Commons (2023). Iraq rivers and governorates. Access date: October 19, 2022. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iraq_rivers_and_governorates.png
  • World Bank (2020). The 2022 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) October 10 and October 16 in the IMF and World Bank Group headquarters, in Washington DC. https://www.worldbank.org/en/meetings/splash/annual
There are 18 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Fisheries Management
Journal Section Review
Authors

Muzaffer Harlıoğlu 0000-0001-8288-0571

Shokri Omar Mustafa Mustafa 0000-0003-3290-1092

Zahra Batool 0000-0002-4393-3527

Publication Date July 4, 2023
Submission Date December 8, 2022
Published in Issue Year 2023 Volume: 6 Issue: 1

Cite

APA Harlıoğlu, M., Omar Mustafa Mustafa, S., & Batool, Z. (2023). The Present Situation of the Fisheries Sector in Iraq: A Critical Review. Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Journal of Marine Sciences and Fisheries, 6(1), 70-75. https://doi.org/10.46384/jmsf.1216078