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Fishery management in the Channel of Sicily 425

Figure 2. Production percentage according to fishing activity (2002).

as much as the northern area is less well supplied with vessels compared with the centre and
south.

From an employment perspective, it appears that the sector provides work for just over
50 000 workers, of which 67.4% are employed in coastal fishing.

The Tunisian fleet working in the Channel of Sicily is under the responsibility of five
governorates spread over the northern part of the country: Jendouba, Beja, Bizerte, Ariana,
Tunis, and Ben Arous, Nabeul. The fleet is made up of 2577 vessels, equivalent to 20% of the
whole country’s fleet (see table 10); the highest number of vessels is found in Bizerte (50%)
and Nabeul (19.7%). Under the governorates in question, a little less than 20% of the whole
Tunisian fleet is concentrated.

According to the suitability of the fleet for the type of fishing practised, it can be seen that
86.5% of the vessels practise coastal fishing, while 4.5% of the craft is equipped for trapping;
only a small number, equivalent to 2.8%, are equipped for trawling. The rest of the vessels
cannot be said to be adapted to any specific method of fishing (see figure 3).

Regarding employment, in general a lower rate of employment is recorded under northern
governorates compared with those in the central-southern area (see table 11); in fact, the
fishermen working in the Channel of Sicily total 9596, which corresponds to 17.9% of the total.

The incidence distribution of employment in each governorate largely reflects that of the
vessels, except in the case of the governorate of Nabeul, where 25.6% of the workforce are
employed, in just 19.7% of the registered vessels (see figure 4).

Table 10. Tunisian fishing fleet in the
northern Governorships (2003).

Governorships No. vessels %

Jendouba e Beja 287 11.1
Bizerte 1300 50.4
Ariana
Tunisi e Ben Arous 105 4.1
Nabeul 377 14.6
Total 508 19.7
2577 100.0

Source: ICE Tunisi.