Salah Hdider, vice-president of the Tunisian Union of Agriculture and Fisheries (UTAP), said in AgroMag on Thursday, October 8, 2026, that the fishing sector is experiencing a delicate situation, due to difficulties that threaten the sustainability of the activity and push many fishermen to abandon it.
He attributed this situation to several factors, including rising production costs, structural and legal problems, the deterioration of infrastructure in fishing ports, as well as the social situation of fishermen. He added that the legal framework governing this activity has become obsolete, specifying that it has not been revised since 1994.
Degradation of fishing port infrastructure
With regard to infrastructure, the guest of AgroMag indicated that fishing ports are experiencing significant degradation, with several cranes at a standstill and the absence of renovation work for years, despite the withdrawal of 2% of fishermen’s gross revenues, for the benefit of the Agency for Ports and Fishing Facilities (APIP), which has substantial financial resources, estimated at nearly 50 million dinars.
« In addition, the lack of skills is a threat to the sustainability of the activity. This phenomenon affects captains and mechanics, which contributes to a growing disinterest in the professions of the sea, « he lamented.
He also considered that the current administrative procedures do not guarantee the continuity of the sector and testify, according to him, to the absence of a real will to develop this business.
Production costs, an extra burden for fishermen
On another level, Salah Hdider criticized the excessive increase in production costs, which he described as a « heavy burden » for fishermen. « Fuel accounts for about 70% of the cost of seafood, which reduces the fisherman’s profit margin to only 15%, » he said.
It also attributed the increase in fish prices, including during periods of abundance, to the profit margins of intermediaries, which sometimes exceed the thresholds generally capped at 30%.
On the other hand, he denounced the precarious social situation of sailors who worked for more than 35 years, and finally received only a retirement pension not exceeding 240 dinars.
