Oman’s fish farming one of key pillars to diversify its national economy: FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations “FAO” confirmed that the Sultanate of Oman has identified fish farming as one of the main pillars for diversifying its national economy.

In a report published today on its website, said that the general vision of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources is to develop the aquaculture sector as a sustainable, competitive and environmentally friendly sector that meets customers’ needs for high-quality aquatic products.
She said that based on the legislation put in place by the Omani government on aquaculture in 2004 and updated in 2012, and in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Sultanate of Oman has developed a national strategy for the development of aquaculture.

The report pointed out that since 1997, the Sultanate of Oman has been participating in various research and development projects on fish and shellfish farming, and studies in this regard included surveys on mussel and oyster farming, shrimp farming, experimental experiments on fin fish farming in cages and ponds, and choosing the appropriate site for breeding aquaculture, developing feed for cultured aquatic animals, developing hatcheries for fin fish, breeding sea cucumbers, developing integrated freshwater tilapia farms in the Sultanate of Oman, and using geographic information systems to select suitable sites for aquaculture.

The report stated that at present, there are many funded projects that aim to develop new breeding techniques and study the possibility of enhancing capture fisheries, sustainable development of aquaculture in Musandam Governorate, and following a geographic information system (GIS)-based approach, which focuses on the use of information systems Geography as a tool for selecting suitable sites for aquaculture in cages in Musandam Governorate.

It emphasized that the experience gained from projects funded by the Ministry of Agricultural and Fisheries Wealth and Water Resources, and the subsequent technology transfer, stimulated the interest of entrepreneurs in commercial aquaculture projects. Sparus aurata).

The FAO pointed out that there are many applications for establishing commercial shrimp aquaculture projects, marine cages, and recycled aquaculture systems.