THERE is something very strange about the idea of fish farm in the middle of the desert. Saudi wheat farms are common. Saudi dairy farms are some of the largest in the world. But a fish farm is really bizarre. So it was a must, to go take a look at Alasmak Walturba Fish Farm near Juaimah in the Eastern Province.
Juaimah is a desolate place. Located about 80 km northwest of Dammam, Juaimah’s only previous claim to fame was another unusual farm, Saudi Aramco’s tank farm. Driving to the Alasmak Walturba Fish Farm, kilometer after kilometer there was nothing to see except power lines and weeds.
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, trees and other greenery appeared. Accompanied on the trip by Khalil A. Elias and Ali, his son, owners and managers of Alasmak Walturba, the men explained that the fish farm had been founded near Juaimah because of the availability of underground water resources. Alasmak Walturba raises tilapia, oreochromis niloticus to be precise, in the sweet water pumped out of the ground at its farm. The fish are well suited to the Saudi climate because tilapia originated in the Nile. Tilapia can survive in water temperatures as low as 8 degrees C or as high as 36 degrees C.
Farming fish is in some ways just like farming any crop. The entire operation begins with clearing the land and then digging holes in the ground, just as for vegetables. For fish you need to dig really big holes though. At Alasmak Walturba earthmovers created large depressions for 17 artificial ponds. The sides of the enormous holes were lined with sacks for support and then the ponds were filled with sweet water. Because the farm is near to the Arabian Gulf coast there was no need to line the entire earthen depressions. Dig deep enough in any coastal area and salt water will be encountered.
Once the earthen depressions at Alasmak Walturba were filled with sweet water, the pressure of the water from above was balanced against the salt water below. So the sweet water didn’t seep out as it would have from unlined ponds created further inland.
Because of their habits, the tilapia breed best in the earthen ponds. Once the eggs are hatched, the small fish or fry are removed to concrete tanks where they grow first into fingerlings. Then they are moved once again and divided between 67 large concrete pools where the fish mature and then are sold after reaching a size of 250-300 grams. Daily the farm produces, on average, 270 kilos of tilapia for the local market or over 100 tons per year. About one-third of the fish are sold fresh chilled. The remainder are purchased live.
“People always ask us why we went into the aquaculture or fish farming business,” said Khalil. “Honestly, there is a real need. Globally, natural fish stocks are in decline and the demand for dietary protein sources is increasing. Perhaps, more importantly, our oceans are polluted. Fish grow in those waters. Aquaculture offers the opportunity to breed fish in a clean environment. Eating fish grown at our farm can only enhance human health.”
Ali admitted that most Saudis have yet to realize how delicious and nutritious tilapia can be. Even so, Alasmak Walturba can’t keep up with the demand. Most of their fish are sold to Egyptian and Filipino expatriates in the Eastern Province. Tilapia flesh is high-grade and tasty. Every 100 grams of tilapia has 101 calories and 19.7 grams of protein.
“We have a license from the Ministry of Agriculture to farm 200 tons of tilapia per year. Now we are working toward 150 tons. We are still in the building phase,” Ali explained. “We have only owned the farm for three years and we have to expand slowly to properly manage the water resources we have. Our farm is completely independent of any water or sewerage network. It’s an environmentally-friendly operation, too. The sludge we produce as waste from filtering and recycling the water, and cleaning the ponds, is used as fertilizer on neighboring farms.”
Alasmak Walturba depends on the Saudi government for two services. The first is the production of electricity. They also require the assistance of the Ministry of Agriculture in assuring the health of the fish. Electricity is vital because it operates the aerators, which throw water up in the air and create a splash factor in the ponds to oxygenate and cool the water. If the ponds are without aeration for three hours or more, the fish will die.
“We have a back-up generator for emergencies,” said Khalil. “The fish can stay five days without food, but they won’t last more than a few hours without electricity. The attention our fish receive from the Ministry of Agriculture is really ideal. I wish the government took care of people as well as they take care of our fish. Mohammed Al-Sahali, head of the fisheries department in the Ministry of Agriculture, sends his inspectors every month to check our operation. In the event of any trouble with the fish or the ponds, within a few hours of receiving our call he would have someone out to assist us at the farm.”
Is there any drawback to fish farming?
“Actually the biggest problem with fish farming is that everyone thinks they can do it,” said Ali. “People are raising tilapia in drainage ditches and then selling them from the backs of their pickups along the roadside. Such practices are very dangerous. If you take a look at our fish, their skin is shiny and without sores. When removed from the ponds, the fish flop around actively. Their flesh inside is pure white when cooked. Alasmak Walturba fish are so healthy because they’ve been raised in a proper environment and fed high-quality food. The fish purchased from roadside sellers is often full of pollutants found in the drainage ditches. The fish’s flesh will be gray or even green in color. Please, for good health don’t ever take a risk and eat such fish.”