Abstract
This work is an impact study of the reconversion of swordfish into small seiners on the target
species, in particular: swordfish (Xiphias gladius) and sardine (Sardina pilchardus) in the two
fishing ports (Salamandre and Sidi Lakhdar) of the wilaya of Mostaganem during the period
2011/2021. In this modest work which reveals the sector of fishing and these news in
particular the activities of fishing which changes the method of exercise, by the change of
armament, the nomenclature according to the nature, the experience of the professionals and
the halieutic product existing, this change of activity declared in parallel with decisions taken
by the Ministry of Fisheries which favored investment in the acquisition of new fishing units
for young people from the training of sailors in 2016.
The artisanal fishing activity known as "small trades" which watches for migratory fish
"swordfish" through the use of FMD and given the unfavorable administrative, technical and
climatic conditions which have prompted young people to request the acquisition of these
units of 12 to 14 meters with a change in fishing activity towards small pelagics, mainly
sardines, these reconversion requests which took more than four years to complete. The
impact of this activity was more visible on one activity than on the other.
Driftnet fishing is undergoing a decline following the conversion either direct or indirect in
the number of fleet which has decreased to four activating at the level of the two ports of the
wilaya as well as the production between 2016 and 2021 which has dropped by a percentage
of 0.16%, on the other hand, sardine fishing experienced a slight increase in production during
the same period at a rate that reached 80.34%, the number of the sardine fleet following the
injection of this new activity (purse seiners) clearly doubled.
The socio-economic impact of this reconversion was beneficial because the number of sailors
on a purse seine can reach 12 to 15 sailors compared to small trades which cannot embark
more than 7 sailors.
This information on the impact of conversion on these two fishing activities is the result of
local work and evaluation that we established over months in the field and through a
questionnaire carried out with several professionals.
In the end, the professionals opt for this reconversion to be somewhat flexible in the laws
which govern it, in particular over the period of biological rest, to leave free choice of
equipment for the purse seiners to reactivate the swordfish fishery and to regulate the
sardinella fishing effort by organization of this activity.
Key words: Sardina pilchardus, Xiphias gladius, reconversion, sardine boats, purse seiners,
swordfish, Mostaganem.
This work is an impact study of the reconversion of swordfish into small seiners on the target
species, in particular: swordfish (Xiphias gladius) and sardine (Sardina pilchardus) in the two
fishing ports (Salamandre and Sidi Lakhdar) of the wilaya of Mostaganem during the period
2011/2021. In this modest work which reveals the sector of fishing and these news in
particular the activities of fishing which changes the method of exercise, by the change of
armament, the nomenclature according to the nature, the experience of the professionals and
the halieutic product existing, this change of activity declared in parallel with decisions taken
by the Ministry of Fisheries which favored investment in the acquisition of new fishing units
for young people from the training of sailors in 2016.
The artisanal fishing activity known as "small trades" which watches for migratory fish
"swordfish" through the use of FMD and given the unfavorable administrative, technical and
climatic conditions which have prompted young people to request the acquisition of these
units of 12 to 14 meters with a change in fishing activity towards small pelagics, mainly
sardines, these reconversion requests which took more than four years to complete. The
impact of this activity was more visible on one activity than on the other.
Driftnet fishing is undergoing a decline following the conversion either direct or indirect in
the number of fleet which has decreased to four activating at the level of the two ports of the
wilaya as well as the production between 2016 and 2021 which has dropped by a percentage
of 0.16%, on the other hand, sardine fishing experienced a slight increase in production during
the same period at a rate that reached 80.34%, the number of the sardine fleet following the
injection of this new activity (purse seiners) clearly doubled.
The socio-economic impact of this reconversion was beneficial because the number of sailors
on a purse seine can reach 12 to 15 sailors compared to small trades which cannot embark
more than 7 sailors.
This information on the impact of conversion on these two fishing activities is the result of
local work and evaluation that we established over months in the field and through a
questionnaire carried out with several professionals.
In the end, the professionals opt for this reconversion to be somewhat flexible in the laws
which govern it, in particular over the period of biological rest, to leave free choice of
equipment for the purse seiners to reactivate the swordfish fishery and to regulate the
sardinella fishing effort by organization of this activity.
Key words: Sardina pilchardus, Xiphias gladius, reconversion, sardine boats, purse seiners,
swordfish, Mostaganem.