(AFP photo)
The Suez Canal Authority will begin implementing the National Project for Fish Farming in the Canal Zone, according to Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Chairman Mohab Mamish.
Mamish said the authority has started establishing 460 fish farming ponds, out of a total of 3,828 ponds. He added that President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi ordered that the production of these farms should coincide with the opening of the new Suez Canal on 6 August.
Mamish also noted that Spanish companies are participating in the project, with the fish imported from abroad, and that the project will depend on Egyptian experts.
For his part, Dean of the Fish Farming and Technology Institute at the Suez Canal University, Tariq Rashid Rahmi, said the project will have high productivity to cover the demand in Egypt.
Rahmi added that the project is important, as it provides a source of protein in light of the high prices of meat and chicken. He added that if the fish production is sufficient, it may lead to self-sufficiency and stopping importation.
He also noted that fish farming can significantly aid in the development of the economy, and can produce a multitude of species that are harvested in ideal conditions through the control of water temperature, salinity and pH levels, as well as the percentage of oxygen.
“Fish farming includes two stages, first, the hatchery, which will be through the institute, and the second stage is breeding, which takes place in fish farms throughout Egypt,” said Rahmi. “The most important species of fish that can grow in fish farms are sea bass, sea bream, croakers and shrimps.”
Rahmi pointed out that the project will reduce transportation costs and the rate of fish spoilage, explaining that establishing the project in this region gives it advantages as it is close to the major ports of Suez, Port Said and Damietta. Additionally, the project is close to the local market to distribute fish in Greater Cairo (Cairo, Giza and Qaliubiya) and other governorates.
The new Suez Canal project was launched in August 2014 by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. It is expected that a new 72km-long canal will be dug alongside the original, to be implemented over a year.
