The rapid development of Iran’s aquaculture industry—particularly in shrimp, marine fish, and sturgeon farming—has created a strong and growing demand for Artemia as a live feed resource. Current national requirements are estimated at approximately 50 tons of Artemia cysts annually, underscoring the organism’s critical role in supporting the sector’s expansion. The endemic species Artemia urmiana from Lake Urmia is recognized for its superior cyst quality and remarkable tolerance to extreme salinity. However, the prolonged desiccation of Lake Urmia due to drought and unsustainable water management has caused a severe decline in natural Artemia populations. To meet aquaculture demand and ensure long-term sustainability, Iran has adopted a dual strategy focused on (1) developing pond-based Artemia production systems and (2) partially restoring Lake Urmia to rehabilitate its natural Artemia populations.
The Artemia & Aquaculture Research Institute, in collaboration with the International Artemia Aquaculture Consortium, is planning to implement a phased program for Lake Urmia’s ecological restoration, with the support of the Urmia Lake Restoration Program. This project emphasizes ecosystem recovery and localized Artemia reproduction, with the goal of producing over 500 tons of Artemia cysts annually from restored sections of the lake. Complementary to this effort, extensive pond culture projects have been established in West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, and Chabahar, covering approximately 1,300 hectares. These initiatives, largely financed by private investors, make innovative use of unconventional saline water resources such as saline groundwater, treated municipal effluents, and agricultural drainage—resources available in many Iranian provinces.
In southern Iran, desalination plants built to supply freshwater for agriculture and industry produce high-salinity effluents (≈70 ppt) that are ideal for Artemia culture. Plans are underway to establish an initial 1,000-hectare Artemia franciscana culture farm near the Oman Sea, with a subsequent expansion to 5,000 hectares following successful pilot production. Integrating these artificial production systems with ecological restoration initiatives is expected to enhance Iran’s self-sufficiency in Artemia supply, strengthen aquaculture resilience, improve export capacities of Artemia products, and contribute to the recovery of key saline ecosystems.
Keywords: Artemia urmiana, Artemia franciscana, pond culture, Lake Urmia restoration, Unconventional saline water resources