The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MoCCAE) and Fish Farm have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) authorising Fish Farm to operate a fish hatchery at MoCCAE’s Marine Environment Research Centre in Umm Al Qaiwain.

Sultan Alwan, assistant under secretary of the regions sector at MoCCAE, and Bader bin Mubarak, CEO of Fish Farm, signed the agreement, in the presence of senior representatives from both entities, reported state news agency Wam.

Under the MoU, the ministry authorises Fish Farm to operate and manage the fish hatchery that comprises 24 tanks, with a capacity of 10 cubic metres each.

Fish Farm is also mandated to install 300 artificial caves every year for the three-year duration of the agreement.

Alwan said that the MoU aims to improve the long-term sustainability of fisheries as a primary pillar of food diversity in the country.

He added that the new initiative is an extension of the Artificial Caves programme launched in 2016 to build artificial habitats that provide a safe environment for the breeding of fish and other marine species.

Alwan noted that combined with the fishing regulations introduced by the ministry, the programme has led to a remarkable improvement in fish populations in these waters, as evidenced in a 2017 survey to study its impact.