2. ALGERIA

This country report was written by F. Seridi and A. Bounouni from the Direction du developpement de l’aquaculture, Ministere de la peche et des ressources halieutiques in Alger, Algeria.

2.1 Introduction

Algeria covers an area of 2 381 741 km2, and has a population of 35 406 303 inhabitants (CIA, 2012). It borders Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Tunisia and Western Sahara, with a coastline of almost 1 000 km length on the Mediterranean Sea. The territory is composed mostly of high plateaus and deserts, some mountains and a narrow discontinuous coastal plain.
Algeria's economy remains dominated by the state, with hydrocarbons as the backbone of the economy, accounting for roughly 60 percent of budget revenues, 30 percent of GDP, and over 95 percent of export earnings (CIA, 2012).
Aquaculture production totaled 1 758 tonnes in 2010 (203.55 tonnes in marine waters), with a total value of aquaculture production of 6 million US$ (SIPAM data, MPRH, 2010).
Aquaculture in Algeria is governed by the Ministry of Fisheries and Fish Resources and the Aquaculture Development Directorate (ADD), which was created in 2000 as a technical and administrative authority. The ADD consists of three Sub-Directorates: the Aquaculture Sites Development Sub-Directorate, the Aquaculture Potential Exploitation and Valorisation Sub
Directorate and the Environmental Conservation and Protection Sub-Directorate.

The legal framework for the regulation of aquaculture is performed by Act n. 01-11 of 3 July on fisheries and aquaculture, through the Executive Decrees n. 03-280 of 23 August 2003; n. 04-373 of 21 6
November 2004; n. 04-188 and n. 04-189 of 7 in July 2004 (SIPAM data).