In the deserts of Dubai, salmon farming thrives

In the deserts of Dubai, salmon farming thrives

Author: Shatha YAISH | AFPID: 1574265083223985300Tue, 2019-11-19 02:22

DUBAI: From a control room in the middle of Dubai's desert, Norway's sunrises and sunsets and the cool currents of the Atlantic are recreated for the benefit of thousands of salmon raised in tanks despite searing conditions outside.

Dubai is no stranger to ambitious projects, with a no-limits approach that has seen a palm-shaped island built off its coast, and a full-scale ski slope created inside a shopping mall.

But the farming of salmon in the desert is "something that no one could have imagined,“ said Bader bin Mubarak, chief executive of Fish Farm. "This is exactly what we're doing in Dubai.“

Inside the facility, waters flow and temperatures fluctuate to create the most desirable conditions for the salmon living in four vast tanks.

"We provide for them a sunrise, sunset, tide, a strong current or a simple river current “” and we have deep waters and shallow waters,“ Mubarak told AFP.

Even for a country known for its extravagant ventures, building Fish Farm, located along the southern border of the emirate, was a challenging endeavour.

Salmon usually live in cold waters such as those in and off Iceland, Norway, Scotland and Alaska “” which is why the farming of Atlantic