Desert-raised shrimps highlight Korean farming tech

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Sun, October 1, 2023 | 05:46

Science

Desert-raised shrimps highlight Korean farming tech

Posted : 2017-01-30 17:25

Updated : 2017-01-30 17:29

Staffs at Shrimp Cultivation Research Center in Algeria are engaged in farming shrimps.
/ Courtesy of National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives website

By Ko Dong-hwan

In October 2016, in Algeria's Sahara Desert, people cheered and clapped as they looked at the world's first shrimps farmed in the desert.

The five-tons of shrimps, each weighing 20 grams on average, showed that it is possible to mass-produce shrimps in an area offering only sand and wind.

The breakthrough is the work of Korea's National Institute of Fisheries Science.

Following a request for official development assistance (ODA) from the Algerian government, the NIFS, and the Korea International Cooperation Agency, launched the shrimp-farming project in the Algerian desert in 2011, according to Chosun Ilbo.

Raising shrimps in desert was impossible at the start because there was little water, and what water there was too hot with unstable salinity levels.

But Korea-developed biofloc technology helped surmount the conditions.

By limiting water exchange and allowing organic residue to accumulate, ideal conditions for bacteria were created.

An abundance of bacteria was recycled in the pool. They helped control the water quality and provided food for the shrimps.

The technology was developed and introduced in Korea in 2008.

In August 2015, the Algerian government built in Ouargla Province Shrimp Cultivation Research Center, a shrimp farm of about 12 hectares ― about the size of 12 football stadiums combined.

With an investment of about 6.9 billion won ($5.9 million) plus technology transfer and training by the NIFS, the farm produced its first shrimps ― 500 kilograms ― in January 2016.

Now Algeria can produce up to 100 tons of shrimps every year. The government plans to establish more farms in areas where there is underground water, by the end of 2025.

The project's success is attributed to Korea, where rising demand for shrimps led to advanced farms being set up.

Shrimp supplies have increased by 1,000 tons every year since 2010, hitting a record 5,500 tons last year.

Since 2015, 47 farms have been using biofloc technology to produce shrimps.

aoshima11@ktimes.com