Abstract
Marine fish farming in Egypt began in 1976 with the culture of gilthead sea bream, (Sparus aurata) as this fish was notably adaptable to brackish and marine pond conditions. Today, marine fish and shrimp farms amount to about 19,000 ha, out of which 42% is already in production while the rest, i.e., 58% is still under construction. In 1997, cultured gilthead sea bream production of 2,250 tons made up 3% of the 75,000 tons total aquaculture catch. In polyculture, usually with the grey mullet and sea bass, gilthead sea bream contributed 440 kg ha−1 to the total yield of 1,700 kg ha−1 (26%) over a period of 16 months. For the same period, the yield of monoculture ponds averaged 100 kg ha−1, while in marine cages, yields ranged from 4–10 kg m3. In 1996–1997, fry of 0.25–1 g and fingerlings 1–10 g with a total of 3 million, were collected from the wild and 1 million fry were produced in the three marine hatcheries out of the four existing ones. The development of sea bream culture in Egypt is now severely inhibited by the shortage of seeds and adequate feeds. Exports of both sea bream and sea bass, during 1994–1996 averaged 1,300 tons per year.
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Sadek, S. Sea bream culture in Egypt; status, constraints and potential. Fish Physiology and Biochemistry 22, 171–178 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007835126731
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007835126731