WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • JUNE 2016 39 About 70 percent of aquaculture in Lebanon takes place in the Hermel region along the Assi (Orontes) River (Lebbos and Saoud 2006, Fig. 1). There are reportedly 150 farms or holdings in Lebanon, most of them small family businesses (FAO 2011), producing mainly rainbow trout. The remaining aquaculture production includes small quantities of carp, catfish and tilapia. Aquaculture is a relatively new type of agriculture in Lebanon and its development can have strong effects on the social and economic lives of residents. Rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss was introduced into Lebanon in 1958 (FAO 2011). Rainbow trout production in Lebanon was estimated to be 600 t by the Ministry of Agriculture or 1,000 t by local farmers (Lebbos and Saoud 2006). Most production is located on the Assi (Orontes) River, close to the northern border with Syria. The Assi River has excellent water quality and the clear, cool, oxygenated, fast-flowing waters necessary for rainbow trout culture. The Orontes Valley is characterized by its aridity (Moussaoui and Yazigi 2005) and temperatures vary between an average of 5.5 C in January and 32 C in August. The Lebanese portion of the Assi River, which flows north into Syria, is 46 km long. Annual flow rate of the Lebanese part of the Assi River is 480 Mm3 (MOE 2001) but international treaties allow Lebanon to consume less than 10 percent of the water. Trout aquaculture in raceways represents a relatively non-consumptive use of water and is thus a logical productive endeavor for local residents. Sixty-two thousand people are estimated to live in the Caza of Hermel in proximity to the Orontes River (Moussaoui and Yazigi 2005). Migration outside the area is rare because of the tribal and familial organization of the population and traditional livelihoods based on farming and animal husbandry. Thirty-three percent of the active population works in the agricultural sector, compared to only 8 percent on average in Lebanon. Many local residents do not have a high school education and the difficult socioeconomic situation encourages many to grow illegal crops such as marijuana. Investment in aquaculture is an alternative to illegal crops. In Hermel, access to river water, land and minimal funding for feed and seed is needed (Karim et al. 2006). This article describes the social and economic impacts of rainbow trout aquaculture on the communities located along the Lebanese portion of the Assi River. A survey of aquaculturists and local politicians was performed to assess the socioeconomic status of the community. The discussion suggests solutions in Hermel but one could replace the name of that town or region with that of any other in the world trying to develop aquaculture. Study Methods Every aquaculturist or fish farm owner along the Assi River in Lebanon was interviewed, including all farms from the source of the Assi River to the last accessible point near the Lebanon-Syria border. Geographic coordinates of each farm were estimated using Google earth imagery. In addition, informal conversations with the mayor and some grocery shop owners in Hermel were recorded. A detailed questionnaire was prepared in English and translated to Arabic. It included questions related to land and ponds, fish production, income, tools and equipment used in aquaculture, feeding and environmental practices, education and know-how, marketing of harvested fish, and the farmers’ personal opinion about the state of aquaculture in Hermel. Questions were posed at random and in no specific order. The veracity of some answers was controlled by asking some farmers if the information given by other farmers was correct. Answers to each question were pooled. Business Structure and Management The vast majority of rainbow trout farms along the Lebanese portion of the Assi River are small family businesses. Most (75 percent) want to enlarge their business but did not want investment from outside the immediate family. Daily farm chores, such as feeding and maintenance do not require many employees and, in 26 percent of surveyed farmers, are performed by the farm owner with no hired help. Thirty percent employ temporary laborers to clean raceways between crops or to feed the fish while the farm manager is away and 28 percent of farm managers are helped by family members. None have a full-time employee paid a minimum wage. There are three main socio-economic advantages to the region of small family partnerships. First, when the initiative of starting a Socioeconomics of Rainbow Trout Aquaculture along the Assi (Orontes) River in Hermel, Lebanon I. Patrick Saoud, Nadim Farajalla, Yara Daou and Antonio Garza de Yta FIGURE 1. The Orontes River and Watershed in Lebanon (Source: Lebbos and Saoud 2006). (CONTINUED ON PAGE 40)
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