TEHRAN- Iran’s annual fishery output is anticipated to reach 455,000 tons in the current Iranian calendar year (ends on March 19, 2020), according to a deputy at Iran’s Fishery Organization.

Hossein Ali Abdolhay said the figure excludes the fishes bred through fish farming, IRNA reported.

The official also said that the country’s Sixth Five-Year National Development Plan (2016-2021) has envisaged production of 237,000 tons of warm-water fishes for the current Iranian year, but regarding the recent flood in the country, the figure is estimated to fall to 200,000 tons.

Damages caused by the flood are also estimated to reduce production of cold-water fishes to 150,000 tons, fishes bred in the lakes and dam waters to 70,000 tons, saltwater fishes to 50,000 tons and sturgeons to 3,400 tons, he added.

The deputy head of Fishery Organization further announced that some 12 aquatic species are already bred in Iran and the figure is planned to reach 17 by the end of the Sixth Plan (March 2021).

Mentioning the recent flood in the country, the official said that fish farms have incurred 5.3 trillion rials (over $126 million) loss during the flood.

MA/MA