Oman’s Quriyat floating cages fish project set for first harvest

Muscat: The Blue Water LLC, a subsidiary of Oman Aquaculture Development Company, is set to start harvesting fish at its experimental aquaculture project using floating cages in the Wilayat of Quriyat.

One tonne of cultivated seabream is expected to be harvested.

The company will announce the actual quantity harvested at the celebration on Thursday under the auspices of Dr. Hamad bin Said Al-Awfi, Undersecretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

The first stage of the aquaculture project using the floating cages was launched last year at the fishing marina in the wilayat of Quriyat under the auspices of Dr. Fouad bin Ja’afar Al Sajwani, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries.

The Minister had said that the project was one of the first by the Oman Aquaculture Development Company for the production of 3,000 tonnes of koffer fish.

The two facilities in Bama and Dhabab villages were expected to increase the production to 9,000 tonnes.

He said the fishing marina in the wilayat of Quriyat would include a fish processing and packing factory, in addition to another project for production of fish feed.

He added that the project was expected to create jobs for locals and produce high quality fish that could even be exported.

The first stage of the project, which cost OMR3 million, saw the installing of 32 aquaculture cages, of which 16 are 20 metres in diameter.

The fish were reared for 12 to 14 months in the cages to reach 400 to 450 grammes each.

The production targets local and foreign markets.

The second stage in Bima village in the wilayat of Quriyat will have 32 cages of different sizes that will produce 3,000 tonnes of fish per annum. The third stage in Dhabab village in the wilayat of Quriyat will have 32 cages that will produce 3,000 tonnes of fish per annum.