(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MoAF) plans to come up with a fish farm in North Batinah that will be biggest in the region.
''It will be the biggest in the country and the Middle East, stretching across 20km off the Suwaiq coast. We are also planning to introduce a large number of artificial reefs as part of this project so that marine habitat in that area can expand,'' said H E Dr Hamed bin Said al Oufi, Undersecretary for Fisheries Wealth in MoAF.
''The project will also help fishermen in the region and contribute to further growth of the country. If this project turns out to be a success, we will replicate it in other coastal areas. We plan to float a tender by mid-year,'' he added.
Meanwhile, Abdullah Hilal al Balushi, manager, development and management of fishery resources in MoAF, said an Australian company has been consulted on the project.
''The farm is being planned in North Batinah because it has the highest number of fishermen in the country. Dubai has a similar farm, but it is not as big as the one we are planning.'' The ministry also plans to create nearly 4,000 artificial reefs as part of this fish farming project. When deployed on the sea floor, these reefs mimic the characteristics of a natural reef providing hard surfaces for algae and sea organisms to grow on, which, in turn, attract fish.
Balushi added that the ministry is introducing a new kind of artificial reef called the Arabic Pyramid.
''We have already used 180 units of Arabic Pyramid at the two trial marine farm projects last year. One farm is in Suwaiq while the other is between Bausher and Seeb. We are studying them and will know the results by May this year. These trials were conducted to see how feasible a bigger farm would b
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