Middle East
Desert dreams Saudi Arabia and its neighbours are looking to strengthen food security through fish farming BY VINCE MCDONAGH
T
HE Arabian Peninsula is a forbidding place most of the year – even for those who call it home. Searing hot winds, temperatures almost half way to boiling point and a seemingly unending desert would, at first glance, hardly make it an ideal loca�on to start salmon farming. However, if plans by various regional governments get off the ground, this could become one of the world’s leading centres for aquaculture within the next 20 years, both marine and land-based. It is no mirage. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the states that make up the United Arab Emirates have said they are ready to invest billions of dollars to make them almost self-sufficient in seafood. And in a region that has seen once sleepy fishing villages transformed into modern super-ci�es in just a few decades, who can doubt them? Saudi Arabia has been developing its seafood sector since the 1980s and now produces almost 80,000 tonnes from aquaculture and 60,000 tonnes from conven�onal fishing. But with its ci�zens consuming up to 300,000 tonnes annually, it s�ll needs to import far more than it can produce and the tradi�onal Saudi fishing industry, mostly based around the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea, is not in the best of health. Fisheries minister Jabir-Al Shihri says this means aquaculture will become even more important in future. The government is increasing its investment on aquaculture from 20bn Saudi Riyals (SR) to SR 60bn (£11.77bn) between now and 2040. Most aquaculture projects will be designed around cages in water close to shore so the fish can be transferred to nearby processing sites and sold onto home and interna�onal customers. The country’s Agriculture Development Fund is ready to finance this strategy to the tune of nearly £3bn. While well over 2,000 highly qualified technicians are thought to be working
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in the aquaculture sector, the country does not yet have its own specialist colleges, so more young people will be sent overseas for training. Dr Ali Al-Shaikhi, CEO of the Na�onal Fishery Development Programme, told the Arab News recently: “We have launched an ini�a�ve to help develop 100 Saudi ci�zens to become aquaculture leaders, with 70% of the funds coming from the private sector and 70% from the government. “And we have just signed an agreement with a local academic facility to train 3,000 Saudis for the aquaculture and fisheries sector. The country is seeking help from foreign governments and recrui�ng overseas academics to help it with this training ini�a�ve. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia will soon begin test produc�on on an aquaculture project by the Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC) focusing on the farming of na�ve species. Venture director Michael Slage says the focus will be on na�ve species that are difficult to farm using
“Aquaculture… has been iden�fied as a priority sector
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Ocean Harvest signing ceremony; fish farm; �lapia Opposite: Saudi aquaculture poster
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07/03/2022 16:23:52
