2.3 Living resources

Flora

The El Mellah lagoon is characterized by the existence of extremely reduced banks including one of the most diversified terrestrial vegetations. Indeed, the general configuration of banks makes it possible for the woody vegetation made up of maquis to settle meadows at the limit of the water of the lake.

On the level of the western bank rise solid masses of cork oak with a procession of vegetation going up to 2 or 3 meters from the water surface. The northwestern part was the subject of a reforestation of eucalyptus that leaves the place towards the north to a vast alder plantation. On the floristic level, a grouping of Pines of Alep stands at the northwest of Mellah.

Fauna

The gradient of space and temporal variation in the salinity of water is the cause of the biological richness and the great production of invertebrates and fish of the site.

Birds

Ecological diversity is largely determined by the influences of freshwater, of rain origin and the brackish water of marine origin, in various points of the site. The El Mellah lagoon is characterized by a significant ornithological diversity. The brackish character of the water and the diversity of the additional mediums are at the origin of the presence of abundant and specific resources (benthic fauna, fish, vertebrates and invertebrates of the marshy zones, various vegetable resources, etc.). These trophic resources condition the presence of a particular avifauna where piscivorous and limicolous species dominate.

Currently, 61 species constitute the settlement of the site, with a presence reinforced with Phalacrocoracids, Larids and the Limicolous (32 species of Charadriiformes, seven species of Ciconiiformes, three species of Coraciiformes, eight species of Passeriformes, six species of Anseriformes, two species of Gruiformes, one species of Podicipediformes, one species of Pelecaniformes and one species of Falconiformes) (MADR 2004; 2005).

Aquatic species

The gradient of space and temporal variation in the salinity of water determine biological richness and great levels of production. The groups of species of interest for exploitation purposes are hereunder reported.
Shellfish: Nine species of autochthonous shells are listed: five bivalves and four gastropods. The maximum richness (nine species) is recorded in the North of the lagoon, and two allochthonous species (mussels and oysters) were voluntarily introduced for culture purposes.
The local species are as follows:
Loripes lacteus, Brachydontes marioni, Ruditapes decussatus, Cerastoderma glaucum, Abra ovate, Cerithium vulgatum, Nassa reticulate, Cyclonassa neritea, Haminoea navicula,
The introduced species are: Mytilus galloprovincialis and Crassostrea gigas.
Fish: Anguilla anguilla, Conger conger, Dicentrarchus labrax, Chelon labrosus, Liza aurata, Mugil cephalus, Liza ramada, Liza saliens, Muraena helena, Solea senegalensis, Sparus aurata, Diplodus sargus, Diplodus vulgaris
Crustaceans: The only exploited shrimp species in the Mellah lagoon is Penaeus kerathurus. 66