Tehran - Iran has initiated 17 high-priority fishery research projects aimed at enhancing productivity, reducing import dependency, and advancing domestic aquaculture technologies, according to the country’s top fishery research official.

 

Mohammad Sedigh Mortazavi, head of the Iranian Fishery Science Research Institute, announced the rollout of these projects during a meeting of the Strategic Council for Fishery Research.

 

He stressed that securing stable financial resources is vital to maintaining momentum and achieving long-term goals.

 

Out of 345 research proposals submitted by member institutions, 61 were identified as priority areas for the Fishery Research Institute. Of these, 17 have now entered the implementation phas, the official said.

 

“The total budget for the 17 active projects is estimated at 1.23 trillion rials (approximately $2.46 million).

 This includes 725 billion rials allocated to aquaculture development, 270 billion rials to fisheries and genetic conservation, and over 10 billion rials to processing and biotechnology initiatives.”

 

Mortazavi highlighted the introduction of new aquatic species and the expansion of offshore cage farming as among the most strategic - and cost-intensive - projects, underscoring the importance of timely budget allocations, according to Tehran Times.

 

To date, only 25 percent of the required funding has been secured. To bridge the gap, Mortazavi urged state-owned enterprises, banks, and government-affiliated institutions to allocate at least 60 percent of their research budgets to fisheries, citing Article 4 of the national budget law.

 

He also proposed dedicating 0.5 percent of the value added from fisheries exports and processing—equivalent to one trillion tomans (around $20 million)—to support strategic research through a targeted tariff mechanism, emphasizing the sector’s considerable financial turnover.