After decades of neglect, the Egyptian government has implemented a progressive plan to improve Egyptian lakes in order to increase fish production and exports, said Salah Al-Mislhy, chairman of the General Authority for Fish (GARFD).
"The development and protection of lakes in Egypt has become a major concern, and GAFRD, the Armed Forces Engineering Authority, the Suez Canal Authority and several private companies have collaborated to do this," said Al-Mislhy.
"Egypt has a number of freshwater lakes. Egypt's lakes contribute about 12 percent of Egypt's fish resources,” said Salah Al-Mislhy.
He predicted that the development of some lakes, such as Bardawil, Borolus and Manzala, would be completed by the end of 2022, while Maryut would be completed by the end of 2023.
The cost of developing the lakes varies depending on the conditions of each lake, he said, adding that the expansion and renovation of the 250,000 feddans (105,000 hectares) of Lake Manzala alone cost US$2 billion.
Al-Mislhy emphasized that the effects of developing lakes were monitored even before all the work was completed.
"Lake Manzala produced 82,500 tons of fish in 2020, compared to 60,000 tons in 2017," he said, adding that more fishing vessels could operate if further efforts are made to develop the lake.
According to Al-Mislhy, Egypt's water resources supply 20 percent of the country's fish: 12 percent from lakes, four percent from the Nile River, two percent from the Red Sea and two percent from the Mediterranean Sea.
Fish consumption per capita in Egypt in 2021 was 20,5 kilograms per year, up from 16 kilograms the year before.
Egypt's fish production exceeded 2.2 million tons in 2021, according to Al-Mislhy, who expected the production amount to increase further in 2022 and reach 2.5 million tons by 2025.
Fish production in Egypt has increased dramatically in recent years as a result of government efforts to expand fish plantation initiatives.
Fish wealth in Egypt is experiencing a huge jump in recent years in light of government efforts to increase fish plantation projects, he said.
Egypt opened in recent years several projects in aquaculture such as the Ghalyoun Lake in Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate and the Al-Fayrouz project in Port Said Governorate. The latter is the largest of its kind in the Middle East and the third such project in the Suez Canal.
When those large projects reach full capacity, Al-Mislhy estimates they will contribute more than 500,000 tons of fish to the market.
Aquaculture investment in Egypt, he said, is a promising area with accessible resources.
Egypt will soon unveil important national sea cage projects in 21 countries, including 12 in the Mediterranean Sea and nine in the Red Sea, which will serve as important sources of fish production, Al-Mislhy said.
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