Iran sets sight on desert aquaculture in northeast 

The head of Iran’s Fishery Organization (IFO) said the
country has plans underway to develop innovative aquaculture systems and farm
fishery products in desert and arid areas. 

“There is great potential to start
cultivation of aquatic products, caviar in particular, in desert areas of Iran
such as Sabzevar, [located in the northeastern province of Khorasan Razavi],”
Hossein Hosseini said last week. 

He added, “We can produce and export. We are looking for
both vertical and horizontal growth strategies in the sector of fishery”. 

Although it sounds counter-intuitive, many deserts have
deep, untapped reserves of water, which with the right equipment and
technology, can be utilized as small, but highly efficient fisheries.

Aquaculture in desert and arid lands has been growing
steadily over the last decade thanks to the modern technologies and alternative
energy sources that have allowed water in these places of extremes to be
exploited more effectively and more efficiently, using it for both crop
irrigation and production of fish.

Desert aquacultures have seen success in Algeria, the USA
and Mexico.