During the Saudi International Marine Exhibition and Conference in Riyadh, NEOM developers announced that plan to produce 80,000 tons per year of seafood by 2030, according to local news. 

NEOM will focus on the development of marine and land-based production systems ensuring compliance with environmental regulations. Production mainly targets native species that live in the Red Sea waters, such as yellowtail kingfish, great amberjack, orange-spotted grouper and meagre. 

Production is initially planned in RAS across an area of 22 hectares with a production capacity of 12,000 tons and in recirculating ponds across 2,500 ha with a production target of 48,000 tons. NEOM is also exploring the opportunity to dedicate 350 ha for marine species with 160 ha offshore and nearshore cages and an additional 160 ha of hatcheries and nurseries. The operation is projected to produce 20,000 tons of kingfish per year.

The plan devised by NEOM envisions setting up an operation for seaweed farming targeting an output of 17,000 tons of dry-weight 40-percent crude protein. Such an operation is planned as onshore and near-shore farming linked to the production sites.

The geographical location of NEOM ensures a temperate climate, roughly about 10°C cooler on average than the rest of the GCC. The relatively colder waters along the NEOM’s coastline on the Red Sea offer some of the best conditions for aquaculture in the region, according to the company website.

NEOM will be backed by more than $500 billion over the coming years by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, as well as local and international investors.