The Sheikh Khalifa Marine Research Center delivered 600,000 fish fingerlings to a number of aquaculture companies in the UAE, including Emirates National Fish Farming Company, local news reported. The initial batch delivered from the hatchery included European seabream.

Fish Farm LLC, the company in charge of the management, operation, and maintenance of Sheikh Khalifa Marine Research Center, is working to enhance operations to reach full operational capacity, in time to support the upcoming fish farming season. The company has set a comprehensive plan to produce more than seven million fish fingerlings of various species, including seabream, hammour, seabass and cobia, among others.

Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, said that “the development of fisheries is a top priority for the UAE. It is a key component in our plans to enhance our food security and increase our annual food production. The Sheikh Khalifa Marine Research Center’s hatchery is an important instrument in achieving these objectives. The facility has the capacity to produce nearly 30 million fish fingerlings per year in two stages. This demonstrates the hatchery’s great ability to supply aquaculture farms around the country with top-quality fingerlings.”

In April 2021, Almheiri signed an agreement with Fish Farms LLC to operate and maintain the Sheikh Khalifa Marine Research Center’s hatchery in Umm Al-Quwain under the highest international standards. The MoU aims to boost the hatchery’s productivity and upgrade the quality of the fish fingerlings to be supplied to aquaculture farms around the country.