Fishing about and about fishing

M. Ben-Yami Column   WORLD FISHING & AQUACULTURE                        March 2015

   

 MARINE FARMING AND ARTIFICIAL ISLANDS

 

Last January I went to a conference, which took place at the University of Haifa, Israel. It was dedicated to examine the option of artificial islands ("artlands") in Israeli context.

If there's a country whose coast is most unfriendly to such an idea it is Israel. This, because the whole seaside of Israel and of Gaza Strip, down all the way to the Egyptian Bardawil Lagoon and the Nile Delta continental shelf, is practically opened to the sea, and apart from the limited area between the Haifa Harbour and the Acre marina, is wanting of sheltered waters. 

But, if there's a country that needs artlands to solve many of its problems it is Israel. This, because its whole coastal area is one of the most densely populated in the world, because Israel, which population growth is one of the world's highest, has no practical options to develop eastward, and because many current and future problems stemming from industrialization and the resulting pollution could apparently be best handled on offshore artlands. In addition, artlands could be incorporated into the expanding offshore oil and gas extracting systems and serve as extensions of air, ports, and shipping terminals, as well as sport, recreation and entertainment, residential centres, and, in certain constellations, as infrastructure for power and desalinization plants, and military and fish farming installations.

 

The various proposals brought up at the Haifa meeting, suggest also coastal and offshore development, including or based on artlands, also at the Gaza Strip (Palestine), which undoubtedly, is in need of similar solutions and for similar reasons, (see below).

Artlands. Artificial or man-made islands can be constructed in various ways. They can be based on existing islets and reefs, or on natural islets combined into a bigger island. They've been known from times immemorial, mainly as floating structures or built on stilts on lakes and other protected waters. In modern times, man-made islands have been created mainly by land reclamation. This, apart from land sections becoming islands incidental to flooding of valleys, etc..

Artlands may vary in size from small islets reclaimed or constructed to support a building, a seaborne extraction facility, etc. to huge ones able to support entire communities, cities, airports, etc.

 

Technically, the options for Israel's coastal development are numerous. They may consist in reclaiming shallow inshore sections, as islands close to and parallel to beaches, or just as extensions of the existing coastline westwards, thus creating a new coastline; in inshore or offshore artlands, either filled solid top to bottom, supported by, e.g., "spongy" concrete construction that absorbs wave energy, or on stilts. Finally, come floating islands of various sizes, according to their purpose, which can be anchored offshore.                                                                                                     

 

There're several options of connecting artlands to shore:  where the distance is relatively short - by bridges (also floating), by boats, ferries and helicopters. Prof. Michael Burt, a veteran coastal architect-planner is only one of those who suggested considering a Palestinian option for artlands along the 45-km long coast of Gaza, where growing population of over 1.7 million is crowded on an area of 350 sq.km. The target could be marine coastal area of some 500 sq.km where artlands-based development could take place, and where, according to Prof. Arieh Isar, Palestinians would engage in marine farming. 

Perhaps, also Egypt could be thinking of constructing artlands. This, because of the rising sea level at the Nile Delta that's forcing some farmers off their lands and others to import sand in a desperate bid to turn back the tide. Also, climate change, if continues at the present rate, may have a major impact on the Delta's farming, tourism and human migration, apart from its ecological effects. Some experts predict that continuation of such process and the resulting conditions could trigger food shortages that might turn millions of Egyptians into "climate refugees".

Fishery. A relatively large artland may serve as a dedicated vertically integrated fishery center and a shelter for its fishermen and fish farmers. It may provide services both, for fishing and cage farming, including residential facilities. It may also carry fish handling and storing facilities, as well as fish processing plants.   Both industries should produce income that within reasonably short period would recover the construction costs, apart from covering current maintenance expenses and fish production costs. Otherwise, an artland may be constructed with fish farming as its sole purpose.

 

Another option is a special floating or stilted structure that can be considered a small artland with mooring arrangement for service-vessels, with feeding and fish charging and discharging facilities. It would support underneath and alongside set of fish cages, which is the most cost-effective way to grow fish in open sea. Such marine farming systems can be based on modified ships, barges, or platforms, and would in many cases attract fish from vicinity serving as FAD (fish-attracting devices). Such FAD may sustain growth and development of various food organisms within the cages and in their vicinity, improving food supply to the fish inside the cages.

But fish cage farming systems can also be installed "piggy-back" at any artlands where it is technically feasible, whether alongside or underneath. Such additions could substantially increase the artlands' economic feasibility. In some cases it may be more convenient and cost-effective to grow fish fry in separate installations, even land-based, and populate the seaborne cages when they attain the suitable size.

A whole marine farming system consisting of a centrally situated artland with all the services, around which is anchored a chain of submersible fish cages was suggested by the AKVA Group (see Picture). Here, the cages are freely "ventilated" by sea currents in a way in which one cage is not too much exposed to the waste coming from the others. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WWW.AKVA GROUP.COM

 

So far, various artificial islands have been constructed or reclaimed mainly in Japan, the Netherlands, and the Persian Gulf. It seems that for the Levant Basin it remains a far cry.