1. ALBANIA

This country report was written by Mimoza Cobani, Fishery Directorate, Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Water Administration, Tirana, Albania

1.1 Introduction

The Republic of Albania is situated in the south-eastern region of Europe, southwest of the Balkan peninsula, along the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea. It is positioned between these geographical coordinates: 39o 38’ (Konispol) and 42o 39’ (Vermosh) south-north, 19o 16’ (Sazan Island) and 21o 40’ (Vernik village, Korca) west-east.
The territory of Albania is 28 748 km2 wide. The administrative division of the country consists of 12 prefectures, 36 districts, and 374 communes/municipalities. The Albanian population adds up to 2 831 741 inhabitants. The gross domestic product (GDP) according to the 2011 estimation is US$ 25 035 billion, and income per capita is US$ 7 780. Total capture fisheries and aquaculture production was 6 206 tonnes in 2010. Per capita consumption of fish products was 2.34 kg in 2010. This figure corresponds to the legal fish consumption, though undetermined illegal fishing and aquaculture certainly increase the per capita fish consumption (Word Bank and Fishery Directorate, 2011).
The Albanian coast is 427 km long. There are two distinct zones: the Adriatic and the Ionian. The Adriatic coast is 273 km long, has shallow water and long sandy beaches (up to 5 km). Much of the coast is covered with pine forests. The southern Ionian coast is 154 km long.

The Adriatic and Ionian Sea feature quite distinct physical and chemical characteristics: the Adriatic Sea shows large seasonal variations in temperature and productivity, with levels of nutrients and salinity largely controlled by freshwater inputs. The Ionian Sea has instead a more 5
uniform physical and chemical oceanography throughout the year.