3,400 tonnes of fish produced from aquaculture in 2022

The total production from aquaculture farms in Oman in 2022 stood at 3,469 tonnes valued at Ro7.33mn.

Fish farming currently constitutes between five to seven per cent of total fish production and is set to grow further, according to Dr Issa Mohammed al Farsi, Director of Fisheries Development Department at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources.

Blessed with a vast coastline, Oman aims to exploit its marine resources judiciously, making the fishing industry one of the major contributors to the sultanate’s GDP.

The future growth in the industry is envisioned to come from the bustling aquaculture sector as the sultanate has several large-scale fish farming projects - valued in excess of Us$1bn - under development.

Farsi said that production of seabream (cofferfish) stood at 2,101 tonnes in 2022, followed by white-legged shrimp (1,078 tonnes) and tilapia (290 tonnes).

He further informed that until last year, ten local firms had obtained licences for commercial fish farming of white-legged shrimp, seabream and Omani abalone. The volume of investment in aquaculture projects is Ro153.025mn. “Two foreign companies operate in commercial fish farming, with investments worth RO101 million.”

South Batinah leads the list of integrated fish farming projects, while most of the commercial projects are registered in the governorates of South Sharqiyah and Al Wusta.

Aquaculture projects in the sultanate are categorised into integrated aquaculture and commercial aquaculture projects.

Integrated aquaculture projects are based on the integration of agricultural activities and aquaculture, aiming to optimise the use of land and water resources in food production activities that contribute to food security.

Operations of commercial aquaculture projects take place at sea or on land beside the sea.