In the Dubai desert, thousands of farmed salmon swim in ponds from the North Sea, despite high temperatures.
From a small control room inside a closed land surface facility, an employee of the Fish Farm farm reproduces the same natural conditions in Norway, which produces the best salmon, while the pond temperatures change as needed to remain the same as in Norway.

Simulation process
According to the executive director in charge of the farm, Badr bin Mubarak, growing salmon in the desert is unimaginable. "But that's what we do in Dubai."
"We mimic the sunrise and sunset, the tides, a strong water stream and a simple river, as we simulate the deep and shallow waters," he told AFP.
Fish Farm says it is the first global company to grow salmon for commercial consumption on land.
In the four ponds, salmon swim, while the strength of the water stream, its temperature, the salinity suitable for its growth, and the reproduction of appropriate natural factors are controlled.
Salmon live in cold waters in countries such as Iceland, Norway, Alaska and Scotland.
At a time when the production of Atlantic salmon in a country known for its hot weather is strange, Ibn Mubarak says that "providing this environment was the most difficult thing we faced."
He points out that his company was able to simulate deep water, strong current as in the ocean, as well as the salinity itself, with a similar water temperature.

Fish breeding
Fish Farm has brought 40,000 young salmon from a natural hatching farm in Scotland and thousands of other eggs from Iceland to be raised in ponds at a facility in Jebel Ali.
Salmon fish begin to swim against the current in fresh water, before they grow to swim with the current, and then transferred the farm to other ponds filled with sea water.

Food security
Fish Farm was established in 2013 with the support of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, to produce along with salmon, various fish including Japan's Hamachi, which is used in the preparation of sushi. But Bin Mubarak stresses that salmon is the "greatest production" of the farm.
"The UAE imports about 92% of its fish from outside the country," he said. "The goal today is to cover what we import from abroad for food security."
"If a cyclone or flood occurs in a country supplying fish to the UAE, the state will be able to supply itself. This is the main objective of the project," he said.
He expresses the ambition of the farm to be able to cover 50% of the least imported from within two years or more.
One of the declared goals of Fish Farm is to switch to solar energy, given the high cost of electricity.

Organic fish
Since last April, Fish Farm has started selling its product in supermarkets in Dubai, stressing that it is «100% organic». Organic fish are sold at a higher price than imported fish, but for many, the quality is more important.
"It is more expensive, but I think it has quality," says Katia, a German resident in Dubai, while buying salmon in a convenience store.
"I've tried other salmon, but this is less fat, and my family prefers it, which is organic," she said.
Katia believes that the UAE is making good efforts to produce fish, vegetables and others. "I think we should support that," she said.