Deputy Minister for Fishery Resources; Engineer Ahmed Al-Eiadh revealed that the forum “Guidelines and criteria for the aquaculture industry to floating cages” begins on Thursday at the headquarters of SABIC center for the development of plastic applications at King Saud University in Riyadh, under the patronage of the Minister of Environment and Water and Agriculture Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Fadhli.

In line with Vision 2030 of the Kingdom and especially that fisheries sector is one of the most promising sectors in which the Ministry is working to develop and strengthen its presence among others sectors, Er. Al-Eiadh said that the Kingdom with a long coastline in total, both on the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf, offers the possibilities and advantages for allowing expansion of aquaculture, whereas the Kingdom with more or less similar coastline metrics assumes a towering mediating presence in this world. Saudi Arabia need to characterize a unique position in the marketing of products, both regionally and globally, as well as promoting the increased availability of national cadres with better-trained foreign expertise, the existing low labor costs and also by improving facilities for construction, investment and infrastructure, the enrichment and intensification frontiers are not too far.

Er. Al-Eiadh said that the forum will be attended by international experts and a large number of leading companies in this field. This workshop aims to create national industries supporting fish farming in floating cages in the Kingdom and to achieve an optimal level of quality for the structural requirement of cages as well as the crucial importance of dependence on national products for the strengthening of national industries and equally sustainability too, providing job opportunities and training programs for the young Saudi generations.

Engineer AL-Eiadh said that aquaculture has made rapid strides with quality enhancement now and to the future with the introduction of modern technologies such as marine fish farming systems in floating cages, aquaculture in closed systems, biotechnical biofloc systems that manipulates microbial balance.

Collaborative research partnering with international firms and also taking advantage of the experiences of developed countries in this industry, working to improve services and to facilitate the investment process and procedures.

The Fisheries sector is seeking approach measures to raise aquaculture production in the Kingdom from 30 thousand tons currently to 100 thousand tons during the next four year period. Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture is deemed to be an important strategic pillar to ensure economic development in the Kingdom through its conscientious contribution to the achievement of a comprehensive and sustainable food security and self-sufficiency of fish products, diversifying the production base and optimisation of available resources to a greater extent and thereby improving the economic and marketing efficiency profiles and generously providing job opportunities for new generation Saudi youths now and for posterity.
 
It is worth mentioning that the Ministry of Environment and Water and Agriculture has held its first conference on investment opportunities in aquaculture in principle which is notably marked by gathering a large number of Saudi investors and researchers along with international experts and companies exhibiting their products under one roof.