Blue economy & aquaculture in Algeria.

Blue economy & aquaculture

Algeria has a 1,600 km Mediterranean coastline and 2.56 million square kilometers of exclusive economic zone. However, capture fisheries are modest compared to West African states. The Mediterranean fishery is heavily regulated by GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean) and overfished for decades. No dominant artisanal fleet. IUU exposure is moderate.

Aquaculture is nascent. Algeria currently produces almost 1,000 tonnes of freshwater cyprinids and very limited marine fish. The government has set a target of 50,000 tonnes by 2030 under the National Blue Economy Strategy (SNEB-2030). This is a long-cycle opportunity, not a near-term one.

Algeria participates in the WestMED Initiative—a multinational framework involving France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Malta, and five southern Mediterranean countries. Technical assistance from EU and international partners is available, but investment is slow.

Port infrastructure (Algiers, Oran, Annaba, Bejaia, Skikda) handles breakbulk and LNG traffic. Skikda is an LNG export hub. Offshore wind potential is negligible. Decommissioning activity is non-existent.

The blue economy in Algeria is a long-cycle play. Aquaculture growth is capital-dependent on EU and World Bank funding, and progress has been slow.