Regional Workshop on Underutilized Fish and Marine Genetic Resources (FMGR) and their Amelioration, Country Status Report: Iran by By: Ali Salarpouri, Presented during the Regional Workshop on Underutilized Fish and Marine Genetic Resources and their Amelioration, 10-12 July 2019, Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka

1. Country Status Reports for Regional Workshop on
Underutilized Fish and Marine Genetic Resources
(FMGR) and their Amelioration:
IRAN
By: Ali Salarpouri
salarpouri@pgoseri.ac.ir
Iranian Fisheries Science Research Institute.
Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Iran.

2. 2
Geography and Diversity of
IRAN
8000 species of plants,
197 species of mammals,
535 species of birds,
227 species of reptiles,
21 species of amphibians,
160 species of freshwater,
983 species of marine fishes
Caspian Sea (890 km),
120 fish species
Inland waters
140 fish species
Oman Sea (637 km),
983 fish species
Persian Gulf (1200 km,
without Islands)
833 fish species

3. 3
Important Commercial Fishes of the Caspian Sea
 Kutum (Rutilus kutum),
 Golden grey mullet (Liza aurata),
 leaping grey mullet (Liza saliens),
 Pikeperch (Sander lucioperca),
 European carp (Cyprinus carpio),
 Roach (Rutilus rutilus),
 Caspian shads (species of genus Aloza),
 Bream (Abramis brama),
 Caspian shamaya (Chalchalburnus
chalcoides),
 Caspian vimba (Vimba vimba).
five species of Sturgeon fish:
 Great sturgeon (Huso huso),
 Russian sturgeon (Acipenser guldenstadedti),
 Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus),
 Stellate sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus),
 Spiny sturgeon (Acipenser nudiventris)
Kutum
Golden grey mullet
Black Sea sprat
Persian sturgeon
Great sturgeon

4. 4
Important Commercial Fishes of the Persian Gulf
and Oman Sea
 Skipjack tuna (Kasuwonus pelamis),
 Long tail tuna (Tunnus taggol),
 Yellow fin tuna (Thunnus albacores),
 Kawakawa (Euthynus affinis),
 Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel
(Scomberomorus commerson),
 Chub mackerel (Scomber guttatus),
 Sharks (Cacharhinidae),
 species of Sardine and Anchovy
 Scads (Carangidae),
 Black marlin (Makaira indica),
 Sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus),
 Snappers (species of genus Lutjanus),
 Largehead hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus ),
 Orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides),
 Deep-flounder (Pseudorhombus elevates),
 Black-pomfert (Parastromaleus niger),
 Barracudas (Sphyraenidae),
 Black banded kingfish (Seriolina nigrofasciata,
Carangidae),
 Common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus),
Yellow fin tuna
Long tail tuna
Sardine & Anchovy
Largehead hairtail
Spanish mackerel

5. 5
Total fish production in Iran
691,174 (MT)
477,269 (MT)
33,643 (MT)
0
100000
200000
300000
400000
500000
600000
700000
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Production(MT)
Persian Gulf and Oman Sea
Caspian Sea
Aquaculture

6. 6
Total fish production in Persian Gulf & Oman Sea
(Iran waters)
Large pelagic fishes
326,784 (MT)
Demersal fishes
241,365 (MT)
Small pelagic fishes
94,650 (MT)
Shrimps
11,194 (MT)
Lantern fishes
17,181 (MT)
0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
350000
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Production(MT)
Large pelagic fishes
Demersal fishes
Small pelagic fishes
Lanternfishes
Shrimps

7. 7
Total fish production in Caspian Sea (Iran waters)
Kilka reduced from
95000 MT in 1998 to
22602 MT in 2017
Boney fishes reduced
from 23538 MT in 2007,
to
11012 MT in 2017
Sturgeon reduced from
1300 MT in 1997, to
29 MT in 2017
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
70000
80000
90000
100000
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Production(MT)
Sturgeon (Acipenseridae)
Kilka (common Kilka)
boney fishes (Kutum and others)

8. 8
Aquaculture production in Iran (2017)
477,269 MT
Warm-water
fishes,
41.07%
Sturgeon,
0.55%
Cold-water
fishes,
35.16%
Cage culture,
2.94%
Inland wild
prodution,
13.49%
Shrimps,
6.77%
Crayfish,
0.01%
244 million pieces ornamental fishes

9. 9
Fish meat and protein per
capita consumption in Iran
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
percapitaconsumption
fish meat (kg per year)
fish protein (gr per day)
increased to
11.2 kg/year
increased to
6.04 gr/day

10. 10
Imports and Exports
 Import for aquatics is limited
 No enough data reported for aquatic imports
 Tuna, Tilapia and some ornamental fishes are
main aquatic imports
 Total import value of aquatics was reported 172
million US$ in 2014
Iran Fisheries Production and Trading Union, 2015

11. 11
Imports and Exports
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
140000
160000
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
totalfishexport(MT)
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
totalfishexport(US$million)
Total fish export by weight Total fish export by value

12. 12
Unique underutilized FMGR
1. Lantern fish resources
 Mean annual biomass was estimated 2.3
million MT
 MSY estimated at 400000 MT/year
 Fishing area is the north of Oman sea
 Fishing started from 2008
 Total catch raised to 21000 MT in 2017 with
100 mid-water trawlers
 Low price of product is the main problemBenthosema pterotum

13. 13
Unique underutilized FMGR
2. Squid resources
 Purple-back squid (Sthenoteuthis
oualaniensis) absolutely dominated
numbers and biomass
 Distribution was reported Oman sea
and Arabian Sea
 Total stock biomass was estimated
750000 MT in the Arabian Sea
 Squids are un-exploited resources in
the Oman Sea

14. 14
Unique underutilized FMGR
3. Jellyfish resources
 Jellyfishes were assessed as a new potential
for exploitation in Iran
 The annual bloom of jellyfishes occurs in
early summer to autumn
 High density of Jellyfish was reported in
Oman Sea
 The total catch of Jellyfishes was reported
2045 MT in 2017
 Jellyfish landing is depended on foreign
customers

15. 15
Germplasm collection, characterization,
evaluation, conservation and documentation
 good background on genetic studies for main fish
species in Iran
 Fish germplasm collection in Iran is not developed
as well as other organisms
 Iranian National Center for Genetic and Biological
Diseases was established by University Jihad in
2007
 National program for construction of Iranian fish
resources genetic bank was started in 2018 by
Iranian Fisheries Science Research Institute

16. 16
Challenges and opportunities
 Increasing the fishing effort (mostly IUU fishing)
 Decreasing some main species ( Kilka, Sturgeon, Croakers, Silver
pomfret, Sharks, Groupers, shrimps, …)
 Maine pollutions (oil, urban contaminates, human interventions)
 Natural risks (massive red tide , jellyfish bloom)
 Rehabilitation program (shrimp and fish stock enhancement,
artificial reefs, aquaculture,…)
 new fishery potentials (Jellyfishes, Lanternfishes, Squids)
Challenges
opportunities

17. 17
Infrastructure, capacity building,
and financial investment
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
numberoffactories
Canning Fishmeal
Freezing Processing
Total investment in Iran fisheries section
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
billionRials

18. 18
Infrastructure, capacity building,
and financial investment
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
140000
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
numberoffishermen
Caspian sea
Persian Gulf & Oman Sea
Aquaculture
Persian Gulf and
Oman Sea:
3135 Dhows,
7233 boats,
125 vessels,
Caspian Sea:
74 Dhows,
725 boats

19. 19
Marketing, commercialization, and trade
 Iran GDP (agriculture 11% and fisheries 4% )
 Only 8% of the seafood produced in Iran is exported
Frozen fish,
8.45%
Molluscs,
11.87%
Fish,
prepared or
preserved,
3.65%
Crustaceans,
47.73%
Other, 3.28%
Freshfish,
25.02%
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Value(US$000)
Other EU Lebanon Japan Kuwait UAE
the figure above does not fully represent the total annual values

20. 20
Strategies adopted to harness
the potential of underutilized
FMGR
 Iran's strategy is to track the value added of low
value and small fishes
 Development of fish conversion industries, and
services
 Identifying and introducing new fish resources in
offshore
 Applying appropriate management to maintain the
stability and enhancement of fish stocks

21. Thank You