Aquaculture in the Middle East is booming. Most countries plan to establish fish farms or increase the ones already set. That is the case of Oman. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries said that the sultanate’s production of aquaculture in 2019 had amounted to 1,054 tons, an increase of 133% compared to 2018, with a total value of RO2 million ($5 million), local news reported. 

Production was limited to two fish species, seabream and tilapia. Seabream production was 862 tons in 2019, 82% of the total aquaculture production, and tilapia production was 192 tons. According to government statistics, there are currently 23 projects and 16 applications to produce tilapia, shrimp and seabream.

The country seeks to increase the contribution of the aquaculture sector to RO222 million ($576 million) by 2023 through several aquaculture projects to produce shrimp, abalone, seabream, cobia and seaweed.