Sisi signs law on protection, development of lakes, fish wealth

CAIRO - 6 October 2021: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has signed Law No. 146 of 2021 promulgating a law on the protection and development of lakes and fish wealth.

Provisions of the law shall apply to lakes specified by a presidential decree, as well as all water bodies and fish farming land that is determined by a decision from the prime minister.

The law was published in the official gazette on Wednesday. 

Kafr el-Sheikh governorate in Egypt’s Delta had witnessed on last May, for a long time many attempts of illegal immigration by youths, trying to cross the Mediterranean to make living in Europe.

However, the governorate is hosting one of the largest fish projects in Egypt and the MENA region, the “Ghalioun project,” which was inaugurated in 2017 in Berket Ghalioun area.

Built as a huge fish farm on 12,000 feddans, the Ghalioun Project is believed to have reduced the illegal immigration rate in the city after it provided job opportunities for youths.

In the below lines, et highlights 20 facts about the Ghalioun Project:

1-  The project has provided 15,000 job opportunities during its first phases of establishment and production.  

2-  The city has not seen any illegal immigration attempt, which reduced the rate of death among youth who used to illegally leave the country.

3-  The project is located in Berket Ghalioun area, in Motobus center northern Kafr el-sheikh.

4-  The first phase of the project is built on area of 4,000 feddan.

5-  The cost of the first phase is 1 billion and 700 million Egyptian Pound.

6-  President Sisi placed the foundation stone of the second phase, which will be established on area of 9,000 feddans.

7-  It includes a fish and shrimp hatchery on an area of ​​17 acres with a capacity of 20 million marine fish fingerlings and 2 billion shrimp larvae.

8-  The marine fish production farm includes a total of 453 breeding ponds and 155 nursery ponds.

9-  The shrimp production farm includes a total of 655 ponds.

10-      A freshwater fish production farm includes 83 ponds.

11-      It contains a research, development and training center on an area of ​​700 square meters.

12-      It includes a feed plant for marine fish on an area of ​​1,518 square meters, with a production capacity of 120 thousand tons per year.

13-      It includes a feed mill for shrimp on an area of ​​567 square meters, with a production capacity of 60,000 tons per year.

14-      The foam packaging factory includes an area of ​​1,200 square meters, with a production capacity of 900/1500 kilograms per day.

15-      It includes an ice factory on an area of​​448 square meters, with a production capacity of 40 tons of crushed ice per day, and 20 tons of ice blocks per day.

16-      The Fish Industrial City includes the largest fish and shrimp processing farm in the Middle East, with an area of​​19,695 square meters.

17-      The Fish Industrial City contributed to changing the demographic of "Ghalioun," and transforming it from an outlet for illegal immigration into an integrated industrial city.

18-      The farm introduced new types of fish that were not previously in Kafr El-Sheikh, including Musa fish, seabass of all kinds, fillets, and various types of tilapia, mullet, seabass, and all kinds of shrimps.

19-      The farm has become a tourist destination for university, school and nursery students to see the giant project.

20-      The project turned to inspire universities students, whose graduation projects featured the giant project.