Taking a cue from the good response it has been receiving from the Qatar market, leading fishery Samkna is set to implement its expansion plans by increasing production, distribution and adding more species. This will be achieved by setting up more floating cages within Samkna’s marine site area and enhancing distribution. Mohamad al-Qamra, Samkna General Manager, told Gulf Times that the Al Qamra Group is looking to bring in more floating cages while a specialised factory for sorting and packaging is set to go functional.
Samkna for Trading and Import, the owning and operating company of Samkna fish farm, was established in 2015 by Al Qamra Holding as part of its move to support the objectives of Qatar National Vision 2030 by producing distinguished types of fresh fish of high quality and reasonable prices. Touted to be the first of its kind in Qatar, Samkna uses the floating cages technology in open water, 53 km away from the Qatari shore in the north east Ruwais area of Al Shamal. The project is aimed at producing 2000 tonnes annually to meet the needs of the Qatari market.
Samkna released the fingerlings in May 2020 while the harvesting started in November. Mohamad Al-Qamra said the product is available in hypermarkets where it evokes a good response from buyers.
“A host of factors including quality and freshness makes our product unique. Our fresh fish hit the market within eight hours while the imported fish take days to arrive at the Qatari market. The most advanced technology and presence of dedicated workers help us ensure freshness and quality,” al-Qamra said.
Samkna has installed a total of 16 floating cages at offshore marine site spread over a total area of 900000 sq. m. Presently, seabass is farmed in cages taking note of the large demand in the local market. Samkna has chalked out plans to produce yellowfin sea bream, red snapper and sobaity seabream while extending the farming to 24 cages.
Al-Qamra explained that one of the key objectives of Samkna is to ensure food security while contributing to raising the self-sufficiency rate of fish in the country by up to 20% by providing a minimum of 2000 tonnes of fresh fish annually. “This is in addition to its contribution to supporting environmental trends, represented by preserving fish stocks and reducing fishing effort , which are considered the most important goals that the state is working to achieve during the current period,” he explained.
In order to ensure the high quality of fish and short delivery time to consumers, al-Qamra said a specialised factory was built with the highest standards of efficiency and quality control that are applied in all stages from farming to harvesting. A low temperature ranging between 0-4 degree centigrade is always maintained from the moment of harvesting, transport of fish to the factory, the packing process until the fish reach the consumer to ensure the best quality and product freshness.
Samkna’s cages have fish growing nets at 15 m deep and predator nets at 17 m deep with 52 anchors, 1250 m chains, 6920 m ropes, 27 buoys and 4 navigational buoys. The cages are serviced by a feed barge with a feed storage capacity of 320-tonne that is fully automated. The barge also houses staff . The fish farm has an offshore station consisting of a jack-up barge that is used for staff welfare and warehousing purposes.
Al-Qamra explained that the project is unique with strong environmental friendly aspects. “Intensive studies were undertaken to ensure Samkna has minimal impact on the environment. The project has been established in an environmentally responsible manner while it's low-risk based on various factors,” he said.
There are no coal power plants or large dams or mining sites near the fish farm. Clean electricity for the processing plant is provided by Kahramaa. There are no indigenous people who will be affected by the project. There is no sensitive biodiversity or cultural heritage site on this project.
Adding further, he said that the project is run in cooperation with the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) that extends support and monitors Samkna’s operations.
The future plans include a hatchery and nursery with production capacity of up to 10mn fingerlings per annum. Also, blast freezing, filleting and seafood processing lines to the processing factory have been planned while the size and production capacity of the fish farm will be increased from 16 to 32 cages gradually. A strong marketing and distribution infrastructure with refrigerated vehicles and trucks pool for distribution and expansion of the existing jetty has also been planned.
Samkna has taken effective measures to guarantee consistent high-quality and reliable production and feed protocols through several international certifications and internal procedures including Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) standard.
Samkna introduces the best quality product for its consumer through focusing on the environment and fish welfare starting from the selection of fingerlings source, sustainable feed content and ingredients. Samkna Feed Protocols are designed for higher growth and lower feed factor ratio making it the best fish food for growth while following the GSO, BAP Standards and regulations for food safety and environment nutritionally.
The aquaculture firm stated that the farmed fish is at least as healthy as the wild fish because it’s a result of controlled food production in all stages and that farmed fish is one of the richest sources of marine omega 3 fatty acids. Samkna strongly believes in aligning its vision in many areas with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
 Mohammed al-Qamra - General Manager of Samkna |
Samkna released the fingerlings in May 2020 while the harvesting started in November. Mohamad Al-Qamra said the product is available in hypermarkets where it evokes a good response from buyers.
“A host of factors including quality and freshness makes our product unique. Our fresh fish hit the market within eight hours while the imported fish take days to arrive at the Qatari market. The most advanced technology and presence of dedicated workers help us ensure freshness and quality,” al-Qamra said.
Samkna has installed a total of 16 floating cages at offshore marine site spread over a total area of 900000 sq. m. Presently, seabass is farmed in cages taking note of the large demand in the local market. Samkna has chalked out plans to produce yellowfin sea bream, red snapper and sobaity seabream while extending the farming to 24 cages.
Al-Qamra explained that one of the key objectives of Samkna is to ensure food security while contributing to raising the self-sufficiency rate of fish in the country by up to 20% by providing a minimum of 2000 tonnes of fresh fish annually. “This is in addition to its contribution to supporting environmental trends, represented by preserving fish stocks and reducing fishing effort , which are considered the most important goals that the state is working to achieve during the current period,” he explained.
In order to ensure the high quality of fish and short delivery time to consumers, al-Qamra said a specialised factory was built with the highest standards of efficiency and quality control that are applied in all stages from farming to harvesting. A low temperature ranging between 0-4 degree centigrade is always maintained from the moment of harvesting, transport of fish to the factory, the packing process until the fish reach the consumer to ensure the best quality and product freshness.
Samkna’s cages have fish growing nets at 15 m deep and predator nets at 17 m deep with 52 anchors, 1250 m chains, 6920 m ropes, 27 buoys and 4 navigational buoys. The cages are serviced by a feed barge with a feed storage capacity of 320-tonne that is fully automated. The barge also houses staff . The fish farm has an offshore station consisting of a jack-up barge that is used for staff welfare and warehousing purposes.
Al-Qamra explained that the project is unique with strong environmental friendly aspects. “Intensive studies were undertaken to ensure Samkna has minimal impact on the environment. The project has been established in an environmentally responsible manner while it's low-risk based on various factors,” he said.
There are no coal power plants or large dams or mining sites near the fish farm. Clean electricity for the processing plant is provided by Kahramaa. There are no indigenous people who will be affected by the project. There is no sensitive biodiversity or cultural heritage site on this project.
Adding further, he said that the project is run in cooperation with the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) that extends support and monitors Samkna’s operations.
The future plans include a hatchery and nursery with production capacity of up to 10mn fingerlings per annum. Also, blast freezing, filleting and seafood processing lines to the processing factory have been planned while the size and production capacity of the fish farm will be increased from 16 to 32 cages gradually. A strong marketing and distribution infrastructure with refrigerated vehicles and trucks pool for distribution and expansion of the existing jetty has also been planned.
Samkna has taken effective measures to guarantee consistent high-quality and reliable production and feed protocols through several international certifications and internal procedures including Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) standard.
Samkna introduces the best quality product for its consumer through focusing on the environment and fish welfare starting from the selection of fingerlings source, sustainable feed content and ingredients. Samkna Feed Protocols are designed for higher growth and lower feed factor ratio making it the best fish food for growth while following the GSO, BAP Standards and regulations for food safety and environment nutritionally.
The aquaculture firm stated that the farmed fish is at least as healthy as the wild fish because it’s a result of controlled food production in all stages and that farmed fish is one of the richest sources of marine omega 3 fatty acids. Samkna strongly believes in aligning its vision in many areas with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
