First: Identifying obstacles and limitations to the development of fisheries resources:

From an examination of the current state of the fisheries sector, including both natural fisheries and fish farms, the most important challenges and limitations facing the sector's development can be identified as follows:

Natural fisheries (seas - lakes - the Nile River) are all fully exploited, and some are even exploited beyond their productive capacity, which is determined by environmental and biological factors.

Maintaining the sustainability of fish resources in these areas is a strategic goal for increasing production from these fisheries. It may be necessary to follow policies aimed at rationalizing fisheries management while taking into account the social impacts, especially in light of the decreasing area of ​​lakes, water pollution, and overfishing.

2 - Fish farms:
As for fish farms, there is no doubt that this activity has achieved a great leap that has been the reason for the increase in fish production during recent years, as a result of following policies aimed at encouraging and stimulating investment in this activity.

However, unfortunately, in recent years several variables have emerged that may affect the continuation of the growth rates achieved in this sector and may affect the continued momentum of this activity, the most important of which are:

** A large part of fish farms depend on agricultural drainage water, the quantities of which available to fish farms are decreasing as a result of the water policy followed by the Ministry of Irrigation, which is based on reusing agricultural drainage water for plant agricultural purposes. Therefore, this policy will leave its effects on the area of ​​fish farms that depend on agricultural drainage water.

** Increasing productivity per unit area depends mainly on the rates of use of manufactured feeds, most of whose components are imported from abroad, which in turn leads to higher production costs, as feeds represent about 70% of total production costs.

The economic problems of fish farming projects have been exacerbated by the concentration of production during specific months, leading to an oversupply and a decrease in selling prices for farms.

There is also a shortage of fish fry, especially of commercially viable species, resulting in higher prices.

**Marine aquaculture is still in its early stages and requires intensified efforts in research and development, which will take several years.

Sector Management:
The management of the fisheries sector is distributed among several administrative bodies that sometimes conflict with each other's jurisdictions, in violation of existing laws. Examples include:

** The separation of the development of the fisheries of Lake Nasser, Lake Bardawil and Lake Manzala from the Lakes and Fisheries Development Authority (the parent administrative body) and its affiliation with another body in clear violation of the law.