Government Contacts & Information resources for Commercial Fishing, Seafood, Aquaculture, Marine & Oceans in Albania

ALBANIA FISHERYCapital: Tirana
Population: 3.6 million (July 2009 est.)
Monetary unit: 1 lek (ALL)= 100 qindars
GDP: €16,675 billion (2009 est.)
GDP/capita: €4.577 (2009 est.)
Major language: Albanian
Major religion: Islam
Life expectancy: 69 years (men), 74 years (women)
Main exports: Chromium and chrome products, processed foodstuffs
International dialing code: +355
Internet domain: .al

Albania- A rapidly growing aquaculture industry (Feb 2010)
The fisheries sector in Albania can be divided into marine, coastal covering inshore and lagoon, and inland fisheries. Marine fisheries takes place along the entire 450 km coastline including its territorial waters 12 miles offshore.

In the north the continental shelf is larger and the slope to the 200 m isobath is less steep making the area easier to trawl, while in the south the slope is steep and the shelf is uneven and rocky making trawling more difficult. Fishing activities are therefore concentrated on the continental shelf zone extending for 25 miles in the north, but only for 2-4 miles in the south.

Fish facts (2009)

Total value of import: €3.643 million
Total value of export: €4,301 million
Total amount of fish caught: 3595 tonnes
No. of fishing vessels: 212 (33 inactive)
Main Species caught: Hake, mullet, cuttlefish, squid, seabream and seabass