Based at the Providence Fishing Port, the BAQF was officially opened in October 2019.
The EU funded multi-species facility is the first of its kind in Seychelles. BAQF provides quarantine treatments for wild-caught broodstock, prepares these animals for life and reproduction in captivity. Broodstock, or broodfish, are a group of mature individuals used in aquaculture for breeding purposes.
The project which started in 2017 is to be constructed in two phases. Phase one is completed and it comprise the quarantine area and an acclimation area. The quarantine area includes six quarantine tanks (7.6m3 each) which operate on a Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) basis. The acclimation area comprises of two tanks (40.5m3) for large fishes e.g. grouper and four tanks (20m3) for smaller fishes e.g. snapper and pompano. Water supply to the accliamation is on a flow-through basis.
The second phase will have a multi-species hatchery and nursery facility for the production of finfish and invertebrate juveniles. Phase 2 will also incorporate research on a variety of finfish and invertebrate species.