Anchovies have long been processed in a traditional way into salted and/or marinated semi-preserves.
In recent years, the activity of transforming anchovies into canned and semi-preserved has grown by offering anchovies in fillets, aluminum cans and glass jars, etc.
The anchovy processing units in Tunisia are totally exporting companies which have been willing to conquer this sector for several reasons such as the distinguished quality of the Tunisian anchovy, the relatively low cost of labor, the proximity of the markets importing anchovies (Italy, Spain, etc.), and the authentic traditional know-how of the Mediterranean basin.
The dominant species of anchovies in the Tunisian waters is «Engraulis encrasicolus». Fishing takes place between the months of May and November via Pelagic Chalut, the Lamparo or the purse seine.
It should be noted that over the past 4 years local anchovy catches have evolved significantly (average of 3900T between 2015 and 2018).
