Fish farm brings seafood production to Sahara camps

TINDOUF PROVINCE, Algeria (MNTV) – An innovative fish farming project in the Sahrawi refugee camps of southwestern Algeria is helping provide fresh seafood to thousands of displaced people living in one of the world’s harshest desert environments.

For decades, many Sahrawi families have struggled to access fish, a staple food that was once readily available before they were displaced from Western Sahara in 1975. 

Today, more than 170,000 Sahrawis live in refugee camps near Tindouf, where extreme temperatures and isolation make food supplies difficult and costly to obtain.

Many residents still travel long distances to purchase seafood. Traders often make journeys of hundreds of kilometers to neighboring Mauritania to buy fish and transport it back to the camps for resale.

In response to these challenges, a fish farming initiative was launched in the Esmara camp in 2019, according to The Christian Science Montior. 

The project raises red and black tilapia in artificial ponds, creating a local source of fresh fish in the middle of the Sahara Desert.

The farm currently maintains around 48,000 fish and supplies much of its production to camp residents, including healthcare facilities that use the fish to improve nutrition for patients.

Project supporters say the initiative demonstrates how communities can develop practical solutions despite difficult environmental conditions and limited resources.

Biologist Jadiya Nafe, who has been involved with the project since its inception, said the farm was created to show that opportunities for development and self-sufficiency can exist even in remote desert settlements.

The initiative has become a symbol of resilience for many Sahrawis, offering both a source of food and an example of innovation in a region where access to resources remains a constant challenge.