A total of 600,000 fish fingerlings have been delivered to several aquaculture companies in the UAE, including Emirates National Fish Farming Company, by the Sheikh Khalifa Marine Research Centre.
The delivery is part of the UAE’s efforts to develop the fishing sector to support the nation’s food security plans, local media reports said.
The shipment is the first following the renovation of the center undertaken to enhance its hatchery. The initial batch comprises European seabream, which will be raised by aquaculture companies, the reports said.
Fish Farm, the company in charge of the management, operation, and maintenance of Sheikh Khalifa Marine Research Centre, is working on making the operations run full capacity in a month, the time fish farming season would be at its peak.
The reports said that the company plans to produce more than 7 million fish fingerlings of various species, such as sea bream, hamour, seabass and cobia.
Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, said the Sheikh Khalifa Marine Research Centre’s hatchery has the capacity to produce nearly 30 million fish fingerlings per year in two stages.
“This demonstrates the hatchery’s great ability to supply aquaculture farms around the country with top-quality fingerlings in preparation for their breeding and entry to the market,” she said.