Tunisia has banned octopus fishing along its entire coastline to address its depletion, a decision welcomed by an environmental protection association on Wednesday. Since the beginning of the year, Tunisian fishermen have been warning of a « catastrophic » decline in octopus populations, recalls the NGO Kraten, which advocates for sustainable development. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries thus decided to impose the ban starting April 1st, according to a notice issued in late March. Every year, authorities set a period during which octopus fishing is prohibited to respect its breeding cycle. The ministry did not provide an end date for the ban in its statement. The current fishing season for octopus began on November 16th and was supposed to end on May 15th.
« It’s a good decision, even though it was made late, » said Ahmed Souissi, president of the Kraten association, based in the Kerkennah archipelago (east), known in Tunisia for octopus fishing. The goal is to « preserve this endangered species during its breeding and growth periods, » Souissi explained. « In recent years, octopus fishing has been depleted due to overfishing, even during the off-season, and also due to methods that do not respect the environment, leading to the depletion of this species, » he emphasized.
Along with other NGOs, his association has repeatedly warned the authorities about the threat to this vital resource for fishermen, especially in Kerkennah. For the residents of this archipelago, fishing, including octopus, is the main source of income. Its depletion, according to Souissi, has led fishermen to overfish other species, causing an imbalance in the marine ecosystem.
Source: Le monde
