At today’s 5:00AM WLBOTT editorial meeting, we proposed today’s BLOTT topic: Norwegian Salmon Farming.
UC#3 provided an excellent semi-sequitur: the Qatar Aquatic Research Centre. The arc of our entire day was redirected.
Oh what a tangled fishnet we weave When BLOTT input from UC#3 we receive.
Norwegian fish farming quickly turned Big-Dumb Which led to camels, fish, and flora of the Kingdom
As we investigate the Qatar Aquatic Research Centre Thanks to Alexey Sergeev, our Aggie Mentor
Qatar Aquatic Research Centre
Agrico got awarded for this project, and the facility has a scientific center specializing in environmental research and fish breeding. It is equipped to play a significant role in developing the State of Qatar’s fisheries wealth..
The project is located in Ras Matbakh with the latest technologies that will carry out research in cooperation with Qatar University on fisheries and how to create the best environment to ensure they thrive. The research center, with a total plot area of around 101,000 sq m, will comprise three central units, including a marine finfish hatchery, a marine shrimp hatchery, shrimp ponds, a shrimp-brood stock pond, wet laboratories, a quarantine facility, a feed store, a formulation unit, staff and labor accommodations, a guard house, parking spaces, a seawater intake and outfall treatment plant, and green areas the first large-scale: aquaculture facility in Qatar.
Street view gets a little repetitive in rural Qatar, but the Arabian boxthorn is everywhere, and it is beautiful.
Lycium shawii, desert thorn or Arabian boxthorn is a species of thorny shrub adapted to desert environments, and can be found throughout the Arabian peninsula, and some places in Africa. The thin leaved, rigid bush grows up to 3 metres (9.8 feet) high, with a lot of branches and alternating spines that vary in size, and grow along the branches and on their tips. The leaves narrow towards their base. It produces small whitish-pink or purple flowers from September until April, and red pea-sized seedy berries that are edible. Habitats include gravel plains and foothills up to 4,000 ft (1,200 m), as well as wadis. Plants often growing nearby include Acacia tortilis and Prosopis cineraria.
Uses The stems, leaves and berries are used in traditional medicine. In Yemen, the pounded leaves of this shrub have been used as a cure for eye ailments. The berries have a laxative effect and were used in traditional medicine to relieve constipation and as a diuretic. Livestock eat new growth on the plant.
Alexey is the web master of several Qatar flora and fauna sites, with beautiful photos and extensive range of subjects. He’s also an Aggie!
There’s something endearing about Alexey Sergeev‘s web site. Mixed in with the hard-core academic notes, he has a large photo gallery, going all the way back to his kindergarten artwork:
Alexey is a talented photography. Here are a couple central Texas images from his web site:
One item I forgot was college education in Qatar. Very long topic but in short, about 6 western universities set up branches in Doha , including Texas A&M which is why Alexey was likely there teaching engr and documenting camels in his spare time.
….Robotic Camel Jockeys
UC#3
I can do a whole BLOTT Exposé (Blotsposé) on my Qatar experiences:
Camel milk
Origin of robotic camel jockies
Looking for dead Dugongs on the beach
Desert roses and the inland sea
How incredible wealth shapes a society
Intense heat while wearing flame retardant overalls
Falcon hospital
Giant stuffed bear in airport
Grilled Halloumi cheese
Sports bar with drunk Brit expats watching soccer
Masserati driving 150mph at night
UC#3
So much to BLOTT, so little time. Let’s focus on Falcon hospitals and fish farming.
Fish farming implies Fish Farmers.
Fish Farmers implies Blessed Nuptials in the Fish Farming community.
One reply on “Qatar Aquatic Research Centre”
The last image is a classic! A copy of the original was featured on Byte magazine in the 1980’s, with the couple staring through the window at a personal computer.
One reply on “Qatar Aquatic Research Centre”
The last image is a classic! A copy of the original was featured on Byte magazine in the 1980’s, with the couple staring through the window at a personal computer.