About us

The center was established in 1988 as a fundamental step for development of aquaculture in Khuzestan province which is considered as a unique area for its high fishery and aquaculture potential. The province contains more than 30% of the total inland freshwater of the country in the forms of rivers, wetlands and dam reservoirs. Meanwhile it has about 200km coastal areas in the North of Persian Gulf. Regarding its ecosystem diversity there is big fish species diversity in the province water bodies. With the consideration of these potentials the province assigned as the main pole for development of aquaculture in Iran. Plenty of non agricultural soil, long period of warm season and freshwater resources are the main characteristics of the province which provide an excellent condition for aquaculture development, mariculture and shrimp culture. Meanwhile the north mountainous part of the province with cold climate and plenty of cold water streams provide wide background for cold water fish culture in the area. All above mentioned potentials in the province led to establishment of Khuzestan Fisheries Research Center.

Khuzestan Fisheries Research Center (KFRC) started its activities with 9 staff members in 1988. By developing fisheries and aquaculture activities in the country, the fisheries research centers tasks changed so each center in the country specialized to specific tasks regarded the national fisheries and aquaculture developmental plan. Thus KFRC specified to be the center mainly dealing with aquaculture research activities in Iran; consequently the center rename to "South Iran Aquaculture Research Center (SIARC).

Location

The center is located at 12km north of Ahwaz, city center of the Khouzestan Province including 7 hectares research farm extendable to 15 hectares and about 2500 m² building office. It includes 5 research departments, labs, library, adminstrative supporting offices and a hatchery site. A mariculture station located in Bandar Imam Khomeini Port adjacent to Persian Gulf is affiliated to the center too.

Research departments are: Aquaculture, Diseases, Ecology, stock management, Biotechnology. Presently more than 100 stuff members are working in the center mainly encountered in Research activities. Up to now around 170 projects out of which about 70 have been jointly conducted with universities and one is carrying out with Kuwait country as an international project. The resaults of the projects are usually introduced to the excecution and private sectors to be applied.