Salmon farm planned in the desert
A recirculating aquaculture system with a capacity to produce 2,500 tonnes of Atlantic salmon a year is to be built in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Salmon importer Vikings Label is behind the plan and has partnered with Danish construction firm Gråkjær Aqua to carry out the project.
The plant will contain a hatchery, first feeding, fry, a pre-smolt unit, a smolt and post-smolt unit, and a delivery tank. In the long term, Vikings Label plans to double production.
Vikings Label is owned by Norwegians Tore Havn and Terje Lukas Havn, who have years of experience in the fields of fish farming, production, trading and export in the aquaculture sector.
Solar energy
“We see a huge growth potential for salmon in Dubai, and that growth will result from a combination of marine farming in Norway and land-based fish farming near the Dubai market,” said the company’s chief executive, Tore Havn.
Terje Lukas Havn added: “The region has an innovative way of thinking and is increasingly seeking sustainable and environmentally-friendly production methods.
“In many ways, building a land-based fish farm in the middle of the hot, dry desert is untraditional and exciting. In this context we want to take advantage of the sun’s resources by using solar energy, thereby incorporating eco-friendly solutions into our fish farm.”
Surveys of land conditions are currently under way on the site, which is located in North Ras Al Khaimah, north of Dubai. The project is expected to be completed by 2020.
