The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in collaboration with one of the European companies specialized in the construction and operation of closed systems in farms fish, organized a workshop on the use of closed systems in aquaculture at the Fisheries Research Center in Jeddah during the period 9 - 10 September, 2014 to acquaint with the importance of closed systems and their efficiency in aquaculture.

It is noteworthy that this European company has built a closed system experimental unit in one of the hatcheries at the Fisheries Research Center in Jeddah for use in research purposes.

In the first day of the workshop, an expert gave a general introduction of the closed systems and reviewed their importance and characteristics as well as their design, components and sections.

The second day, on the other hand, was devoted to talking about the unit which was established in Fisheries Research Center, by giving extensive details about their components and the operation method. This talk was intervened by practical applications at the hatchery site where the system was established.

The past year has also witnessed introducing and presenting the closed aquaculture systems to the investors in the field of aquaculture, and their significance in relation to the freshwater farming as a means of conserving water consumption, and their high efficiency in the prevention of diseases. Also, last year, the Saudi Aquaculture Society, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Dutch Government held a workshop on the uses of closed systems in aquaculture projects. One of the recommendations reached at the end of the workshop was the need to study the technical, operational and economic aspects of these systems, and their suitability for use in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.