8.6 Lagoon exploitation

8.6.1 Aquaculture and capture fisheries

Aquaculture was promoted in the Nador lagoon by Marost Company with the support of the former Scientific Institute of Marine Fisheries (ISPM which became INRH since 1996) and MEDRAP (Regional project of FAO for promotion of aquaculture development in the Mediterranean).

This farming company was founded in 1985; it carried out several aquaculture activities, particularly shellfish culture, finfish culture and shrimp culture including captive breeding, pre-growing and growing phases. Finfish culture was mainly focused on sea-bass and sea-bream (cultured in floating net-cages), shellfish culture on Japanese cupped oyster (cultured in longlines and fixed rafts), soft clam (cultured in peripheral lagoon parks) and shrimp culture on Mediterranean prawn and Japanese prawn (cultured in lagoon side-line pens).
Aquaculture sites were mainly limited to the Atayoun area (situated in the west center of the surface area of the lagoon) and in the surrounding area of the sea/lagoon connection. These sites were selected for their environmental characteristics, which were favorable to aquaculture. As Marost alone had the exclusive right to exploit the lagoon water surface, no one else could undertake any other activity except local fishers who were allowed to fish in non-cultured areas of the lagoon. However, since early 2006, when Marost ceased all its aquaculture activities in the lagoon, the latter was only been exploited by local artisanal fishers. A new fishing activity, algae harvesting, started in 2007. Twenty boats of a private Company (SETEXAM), specialized in algae processing and Agar production, were introduced to collect Gracilaria algae, which naturally grow in the Nador lagoon. This company also underwent some algae culture experimental trials in the lagoon with INRH technical support, though results were not so satisfactory.

A new investment program mainly focused on touristic development around the Nador lagoon started three years ago. Since 2009, the Marine Fisheries Department launched a study aiming at identifying suitable places for aquaculture with an environmental integration and sustainability purpose. The objective was to promote sustainable aquaculture activities based on local planning, taking into account environmental requirements and socio-economic constraints. Up to today, artisanal fishing is still the only activity carried out in the lagoon. Captured fish production is relatively important but there is also some artisanal shellfish fishing; this kind of fishing is less important and mainly concerns the collection of grooved carpet shell, knives and sometimes dates of Wed.
Facilities
Fishing gear
Three types of fishing gear are used by fishers in the lagoon: trammel nets, Palanza and beach seine.
Boats
Rowing/motor boats
The majority of fishers use outboard engines with a capacity ranging from 4 to 15 horsepower (hp) and an average age of 5 years. For those who own large boats, they use more powerful engines of 18 hp on average.
Buildings and infrastructures
There is a total absence of infrastructures related to fisheries on the Nador lagoon, with the exception of a small harbour (called Sidi Ali), located in the south side of the lagoon and used for artisanal fishery landing. There is a lack of road linking the sixteen undeveloped landing sites of artisanal fisheries surrounding the lagoon and a platform to sell or market the freezing chamber except at the great port of Beni Ansar.
Workforce, establishments and institutions
With the exception of the southern part of the lagoon, which is the urban city of Nador, basic infrastructures such as roads, electricity, water, education institute, fuel stations and hospitals are absent in the eastern part of the lagoon.
For all the municipalities surrounding the lagoon, the sector that occupies most human force is trade (28 percent), followed by government, education, health and social action (14.3 percent),services (14.1 percent), buildings and public works (12.9 percent), agriculture, livestock and fisheries(11.8 percent), trade and industry (11.4 percent) and other activities with 7.5 percent.
On the scale of rural communes, the sector employing more people is obviously that of agriculture, livestock and fisheries, while for the urban communities, trade is ranked the first and uses 32 percent and 27 percent of the working population in the municipalities of Nador and Beni Ansar respectively. The service sector employs about 23 percent and public administration nearly 16 percent, with little difference between the two municipalities (Nador and Beni Ansar).
Aquaculture and capture fisheries management
There were three hatcheries functioning in the Atayoun site (Marost), producing seeds of cultured species of fish (from 1989 to 2005), shellfish (from 1986 to 2004) and prawns (from 1987 to 1990). There were iron tables for oysters’ suspended culture or for supporting fish culture nets. Also, there were floating net-cages for fish culture. When Marost was in operation, it used to have two important nurseries, one for shellfish spat pre-growing and another for fish fry pre-growing. No restocking, predator control or selective fishery were being carried out.
Shellfish raft culture was employed by Marost. This technique consisted in the use of iron tables, which were similar as to those used in the Thau lagoon in France.
According to Abdellaoui et al. (2006), Gracilaria beds were recorded to be developed and a collecting activity was undertaken in a few years, but there is now seaweeds control.
Except aquaculture in this lagoon waters and Marost hatcheries and nurseries, there were no intensive aquaculture activities in the surrounding lands.
Lagoon productions 1980–2010
Aquaculture
Gilthead sea-bream production: maximum production was achieved in 1994 of around 792 tons European sea-bass: maximum production was achieved in 2005 of about 845 tons.

Figure 4.Evolution of aquaculture production of seabream and seabass in Morocco. Source: Department of Marine Fisheries
Capture fisheries
Gracilaria: a single fishing season was carried out in 2007, for a production of 265 tons of wet seaweed during the period from July to September.
Caramota is a prawn of great commercial value. Almost all of its catch is destined for export, mainly through Melilla, for Spanish markets. Its total catch is about 20 tons (Malouli Idrissi et al., 2003).
Other species such as octopus, breams and grey mullet are also caught and may have an economic interest for fishers.
Anchovy is a species that appears in this lagoon only during a specific period of the year, between November and January (Malouli Idrissi and Zahri, 2002; Malouli Idrissi et al., 2003).

8.6.2 Other uses

Recreational activities (hunting, game fishing, wildlife observation, walking and trekking, boat tours, bathing and swimming, sailing and canoeing, lagoon products sales and restaurant).
Recreational fishing is a very common practice in the lagoon of Nador, particularly in the area of the gateway (sea-lagoon connection). Several species are caught, mainly breams (Gilthead sea-bream, white bream, bogue, etc.).
With the enhancement of Nador city, of the coastal lagoon area and of the roads, the construction of Nador international airport and the development of sightseeing boats, the lagoon started to be known as an attractive touristic site and attracts new tourism business investment.