The first juvenile fish from the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Centre for Marine Research in Umm Al Quwain will be released this year, it was announced at the Agra ME conference in Dubai yesterday.
“We will see our first fish from the hatchery by the end of the year,” said Dr Rashid bin Fahad, the Minister of Environment and Water on the sidelines of the Agra ME conference in Dubai. “This marine research centre is not all about self-sufficiency, it is about business.”
The UAE’s first hatchery and marine research centre is expected to help fishermen and commercial enterprises and grow the aquaculture sector.
The minister said the first phase has an investment of Dh75 million to produce fingerlings (juvenile fish), which will be used for restocking programmes in the Gulf and the sustainable development of aquaculture in the UAE. “Ideally we would like to convert fishermen to fish farmers,” he said.
Industry specialists said that historically fish farms in the UAE suffered from lack of investment offered by finance houses and lack of raw materials. Fingerlings and juvenile fish had to be imported as well as the feed which made the start-up and running costs prohibitive.
“It’s very difficult to put debt on to an aquaculture project in the UAE,” said Panagiotis Tountas, the operations manager of Fish Farm UAE. “Long term, with an equity share, it makes sense but short term the return on investment is not evident and that is why financing will not come from banks.”
However, there is an urgent need to boost aquaculture locally and globally because of rising populations.
A World Bank report estimates that in 2030 nearly two-thirds of seafood will be farm-raised.
The basic economics of any investment means that there is not only local demand but also a massive export market.
“Demand outstrips supply locally and globally,” said Kaushal Dayal, consulting director at KPMG UAE. “Per capita consumption for all fish has increased, regardless of the population increase, while local production has decreased.”
Meanwhile, fish farming has met mixed success in the UAE.
Emirates AquaTech Caviar Farm in Abu Dhabi already produces 35 tonnes of caviar and 700 tonnes of sturgeon meat, but cold water fish in an intemperate climate is a challenge.
“[With] most fish farming is carried out in fresh water on land, the UAE has an advantage,” said Erik Hempel, a spokesman for the Nor Fishing Foundation in Norway. “Norway began its aquaculture programme in 1970 and today it produces 1.2 million tonnes of salmon every year. With government and private investment, something similar could happen here.”
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The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 720hp
Torque: 770Nm
Price: Dh1,100,000
On sale: now
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SE%20(second%20generation)
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If you go
The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
Kanye%20West
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MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Messi 23' pen, 45 1', 48', Busquets 85')
Celta Vigo 1 (Olaza 42')
MATCH INFO
What: Brazil v South Korea
When: Tonight, 5.30pm
Where: Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae
India squad
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, K.L. Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now