How UAE oyster farms are helping the environment on the coast of Fujairah

As a source of pearls, oysters have been closely associated with UAE history and traditional culture for centuries.

Other industries have long replaced pearling, but oyster farming as a food product has flourished on the UAE’s east coast in recent years.

Overall, aquaculture is sometimes associated with environmental hazards, but oysters are bivalve mollusks that are generally considered to have a positive impact on the natural world.

with this, back bay oysters The farm in Fujairah was recently awarded the Friends of the Sea certification for sustainable aquaculture through a programme run by the Italian World Sustainability Organisation after finding its aquaculture facility complies with strict sustainable policies and waste management regulations .

Oyster farms often improve biodiversity because they increase the surface area of ​​the habitat by as much as 50 times, said Paul Bray, founder and director of the Friends of the Sea program.

This has led to more marine life such as barnacles, anemones and hooked mussels, some of which provide food for predators, he said.

“These oyster reefs are used as spawning areas,” Mr Bray said. “Raising bivalve mollusks is generally a low-impact way of producing animal protein compared to general fish farming.”

Oysters filter water and sequester carbon, so they have a positive impact on carbon emissions, Mr Bray said.

Positive effects of oysters

Global demand for seafood is growing, with aquaculture – the farming of fish, crustaceans, mollusks and other aquatic organisms – accounting for most of the increased production.

According to data published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the amount of fish and other marine life caught from the wild has roughly stabilized between 750 and 86 million tons per year over the past 35 years.

The harvest is unlikely to increase as stocks are already under huge pressure.

At the same time, the annual production of inland water aquaculture increased from 6 million tons in 1987 to 54 million tons in 2020, while the annual production of mariculture increased from 4 million tons to 33 million tons.

Aquaculture, especially when it involves raising fish, is sometimes associated with environmental damage, such as through the accumulation of nutrients in fish feed and waste, which can lead to algal blooms that deplete the water of oxygen.

However, oysters do not have to be fed, and while they do produce solid waste, this is not harmful to the surrounding waters.

The impact on welfare is much smaller compared to finfish, which have drawn attention to issues such as lice infestations.

“The fact that there is no need for feed and the use of additional chemicals or growth hormones, as you usually find in finfish, [means] The impact on the environment is much less,” Mr Bray said.

“[Consumers] Compared to fish, oyster welfare should be less in the culture and transport stages. “

Mr Bray noted that environmental certification schemes for seafood could have a significant impact, citing a previous dolphin-safe tuna program he was involved in, which he said had reduced accidental dolphin catches in an area by more than 90 percent.

Friend of the Sea certification has been awarded to more than 1,500 companies in more than 80 countries and can help farms, for example, by providing opportunities to connect with potential buyers interested in sustainable products. Other certified oyster farms are in Australia, Italy, Monaco and the UK.

Assessing standard farms includes impact on critical habitat, compliance with water quality standards, no use of harmful antifoulants or growth hormones, and management of waste and energy use.

Supply the UAE market

Ramie Murray, chief executive of Dibba Bay Oysters farm, said the company’s operations were “less intensive”, adding that the oyster net was “like a floating reef” that created habitat for other marine life.

“We keep them very spread out,” he said. “They feed on phytoplankton. They build their shells from minerals found in the water.”

However, Mr Murray said the farm’s biggest positive environmental impact was that it provided the UAE market with oysters that could otherwise be flown by air. The farm holds about 35% of the UAE’s oyster market.

It is the only oyster farm in the Middle East, with Pacific oysters native to Japan.

The farm “grew slowly at first” but expanded faster and now produces 300,000 to 400,000 oysters a month. Mr Murray said production could increase to 800,000 a month.

The farm applied for Friend of the Sea certification because it was entirely third-party, said Mr Murray, which he compared to some other certification schemes rooted in the industry.

He said the company was “very satisfied” with the “rigor” of the certification process, which involves having to document many procedures about how the company operates.

In addition to exporting to other GCC countries, Diba Bay also ships oysters to the Maldives and the Seychelles, and is looking to supply Hong Kong, which typically sources oysters from France or the United States, Mr Murray said.

“The amount of carbon we export [to Hong Kong], but less than half that of the U.S. and France,” he said. “China is a huge producer, but it consumes them all. “

Diba Bay’s environmental impact also includes supporting a coral nursery project to rebuild coral reef ecosystems using oyster shells.

Updated: 11/1/2022 4:20AM