Abu Dhabi is investing in floating sea cage aquaculture to boost the United Arab Emirates’ food security and preserve and protect the nation’s marine biodiversity and ecosystems.
To spur the practice, the emirate has launched a new fish-farming project comprising six floating sea cages. The project aims to cultivate 100 metric tons (MT) of fish annually – nearly a quarter of what the country produced in 2021, which is the latest available data on the country’s aquaculture production.
The project is spearheaded by the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi (EAD) and will be located southeast of Delma Island within the Al Dhafra region in the western portion of the country. The farms will feature several high-priced fish species, including gabit, safi, hamour, and sheri. The total cost of the project has not been disclosed.
“As part of our efforts to promote sustainable aquaculture in the emirate and implement our sustainable aquaculture policy initiatives, we are conducting the first aquaculture cage project southeast of Delma Island, which will include the cultivation of local fish species that are vulnerable to overexploitation,” EAD Secretary General Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri said.
The feasibility of the project was first tested in 2017 …
