Shrimps farmed at the Aquatic Research Center at Ras Matbakh. Pic: Abdul Basit/ The Peninsula
The Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME), represented by the Fish Wealth Department, has announced to harvest first batch of 900kg vannamei shrimps farmed at its Aquatic Research Center at Ras Matbakh, marking the success of the project.
Center, a nucleus of fish farming projects launched by the Ministry under National Food Security Strategy 2018-23 to support strategic stock of fish in the sea and to increase self-sufficiency of Qatar in fresh food production including fish by releasing baby fish in the sea and supplying to private fish farming facilities at subsidised prices.
“The Aquatic Research Center imported 50 pairs of shrimp of vannamei type in first batch in July 2020 and 200 pairs of shrimp of same type on December 17, 2020 from a shrimp hatchery in Florida, US, said Director of Fish Wealth Department at MME, Abdulaziz Mohammed Al Dehaimi.
Al Dehaimi was speaking in a press conference held at the headquarters of Aquatic Research Center yesterday to demonstrate the achievements of the Center. 
Director of MME Fish Wealth Department, Abdulaziz Mohammed Al Dehaimi (left) and Director of Aquatic Research Center, Ibrahim Salman Al Hasan Al Muhannadi, speak during the press conference.
Talking about the project for farming shrimps in Qatar, Al Dehaimi said: “The Center produced 250,000 larvae of vannamei shrimp of PL-25 then about 160,000 larvae out of them were shifted to its ponds for growing. The work is in progress to produce over two million of shrimp larvae of PL-25 by the end of March 2021.”
Director of Aquatic Research Center at Ras Matbakh, Ibrahim Salman Al Hasan Al Muhannadi said the centre aims at producing over 8 million larvae of shrimp (PL-25) in the coming season from January to August 2021.
He said about 160,000 larvae of shrimps shifted to four ponds for growing to the marketing level ranging from 20gm to 25gm where shrimp size reaches an average of 30gr. “The samples of the grown shrimps were taken to the health laboratory for test. The results suggested they are healthy and fit for human consumption,” said Al Muhannadi.
He said commercial fish farming projects which are under construction are about to commence soon. “The centre will supply baby shrimp at subsidised prices to the fish farming projects which are expected to be able to send to the market in 2021,” said Al Muhannadi.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Director of Fish Wealth Department at MME, Abdulaziz Mohammed Al Dehaimi said two commercial fish farming projects are expected to start operation by the end of this year.
He said the Ministry released thousands of baby fish of different species in the seas but baby shrimp will not be released into the sea because it is not from Qatari water.
“The Fish Wealth Department had released 25,000 baby Hamour fish of 10gr and 426,000 Sh’am baby fish at different places in the sea to maintain fish stock in Qatari water,” said Al Dehaimi.
