Experts are of the opinion that Iran could well turn into one of the worldÕs leading producers of artemia (brine shrimp) thanks to its large salt lakes.
Artemia are tiny--just 10 millimeters long--but form a huge part of the salt pond ecosystem.
Brine shrimps can be found almost everywhere in the world in inland salt waters, although they are completely absent from oceans.
They are commonly used for fish food in aquariums. The protein-rich aquatic creature has received growing attention from advanced countries in recent years as seafood as well.
Artemia are hatched in several salt lakes in Iran. Orumieh Lake is the country's largest producer of artemia. Some 2,000 tons can be harvested from the lake every three years. It is said to hold the worldÕs largest brine shrimp reserves.
Brine shrimp sells for $120 per kilo on the international markets.
Iran is planning to export surplus production to Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia as well as regional states.

Artemia are tiny--just 10 millimeters long--but form a huge part of the salt pond ecosystem.

Domestic Demand
In addition to Orumieh Lake, brine shrimp can be found in Qom, Jazmourian, Parishan, Maharlou and Bakhtegan lakes.
Iran produced less than 300 tons of brine shrimps during 2002 and 2003.
The private sector has largely invested in artemia farming. Given the upsurge in domestic demand, the industry has grown rapidly in recent years.
It is possible to hatch artemia in the northern and southern parts of the country even at times when the country is plagued with drought.
Experts believe that the country could export huge quantities of brine shrimps to regional states, including Kuwait, Pakistan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, India and former Soviet republics.
Mahmoud Hafezieh, the International Artemia Research Center manager for domestic watersÕ aquatic resources, told Iran Daily that seafood is getting more attention from the international community in light of the rapid world population growth and the upsurge in demand for new protein sources.
The official said artemia are vastly used as live food in shrimp farms here.

IranÕs Orumieh Lake is the worldÕs largest salt lake and is home to the species Artemia Orumiana.

Global Market
Expert studies show that in the year 2001, only 800 tons of brine shrimps were harvested from Orumieh Lake. This is while it had been announced that the country could get at least 2,000 tons from the lake.
ÒProduction came down to 300 tons in 2002 and 2003,Ó Hafezieh said. Experts believe that good precipitations could have increased the yield to 700 tons in the year to March 2005.
The official added that artemia prices depend much on demand on the international markets.
ÒIn 1999 and 2000, due to high global demand for brine shrimps and low supply, the prices were as high as $180 per kilo,Ó he said, adding that in 2001 and 2002, higher global supply, particularly from China, reduced global market prices.
He said at present, high quality artemia produced by Belgium and the United States sell for $120 per kilo on the world markets.
He said Iranian artemia rank second after Belgian and US brine shrimps in terms of quality and nutritional facts.

Research Center
Hafezieh said the Iran-based International Artemia Research Center is one of the largest brine shrimp research centers in Asia, adding that it also renders consultancy services to state and private companies.
ÒThis center could do research on artemia species in other Asian countries as well,Ó he said, stressing that the center holds training workshops with plans for receiving hosts and students from the four corners of the continent.
He further said that the International Artemia Research Center could provide Asian companies with consultancy services, adding that brine shrimps could be hatched in various parts of the most populated continent.
The center started work in 2001 and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has approved of its high potential and capabilities and backed its bid to be registered as the Asian Artemia Center, he pointed out.

Brine shrimp sells for $120 per kilo on the international markets.

Such a center is operating in Belgium at present.
ÒWe are planning to use the model of the global artemia research center in Belgium in formulating standards for the Orumieh center,Ó he said, adding that some 160 researchers are contributing to efforts to implement the initiative.
Hafezieh said IranÕs Orumieh Lake is the worldÕs largest salt lake and is home to the species Artemia Orumiana. Artemia farming began in 1991 in the northwestern lake.
What is Artemia?
Artemia can live in water having several times the salinity of seawater, but they can also tolerate water having only one-tenth the marine salt concentration. Brine shrimp usually occur in huge numbers.
Their absence from the sea has been explained by their vulnerability to attack by predators and the absence of the latter in their inland saline habitat. Generally, they have stalked compound eyes and tapered bodies with a trunk that bears 11 pairs of leaf-like legs.
Newly hatched brine shrimps have been widely used for many years both by commercial and amateur fish breeders. This is due to their high nutritional value and their availability off-the-shelf when needed.
Representing a staggering 35% protein at the time of hatching, the tiny brine shrimps move readily towards light and their movement attracts fish fry to strike at them and ingest a most natural, vitamin-rich diet, which brings about rapid growth and, most important, survival.
The brine shrimps belong to a group of crustaceans, which have been shown by fossil record to have been an important part of the marine food chain for over 300 million years.

The hearts and minds of millions of Iranian voters are at the moment focused on the forthcoming election in which they will choose their next president.
But what exactly should a candidate offer to qualify for presidency? What capabilities and skills should he have in order to run such a great nation? What was behind the rapid growth of other countries such as Malaysia, China, Turkey and South Korea? Because of the nature of the country and its specific conditions, what sort of president is indeed needed? What characteristics did former presidents have and what are those of the new candidates? What about future programs and the presidential team itself?
An entrepreneur president should have self-belief and courage, work hard, take risks and initiate and pursue solid reforms instead of gradual changes.
It is important to take into consideration his past experiences and achievements as well. He should have high academic/religious credentials, experience in running and/or establishing organizations or state-owned enterprises, and great capacity for policy and decision-making during economic, political, military and cultural crises. He should know how to create jobs, bring unemployment under control, understand economics and finance and relate to ordinary people and their needs.
It is also imperative for a presidential candidate to have special talents to address strategic tasks in crucial times by means of expert knowledge in international affairs and effective communication skills. He should have courage to accept criticism, expertise to organize, employ and supervise others, get everyone involved in national development projects and communicate with official/unofficial entities.
The future president should be familiar with the experiences of the recently advanced countries. Economic developments in Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey and China took place because of the desire for radical change. They were also headed by competent chief executives who led them through such rapid changes.
No one doubts the valuable role of Mahathir Mohammad in the development and prosperity of Malaysia, Turgut Uzal in Turkey, Deng Xiao Peng in China and General Lee Kim in South Korea. All these influential figures had strong belief in radical changes instead of gradual alternatives. They were key elements behind fundamental changes as they had the necessary expertise and means for the role. They believed in globalization and took advantage of modern opportunities in information technology every step of the way. They personified their countries and stayed a step ahead of the rest, the result of which led to greater international market share, national economic development, higher employment rate and social security.
People have never elected an entrepreneur president with all the above-mentioned characteristics rolled in one.
A quick look at new candidates reveals that there has been little room for development of young entrepreneurs at an executive level. Presence of former executive authorities as candidates in the election poses a great risk to the very fabric of future development as it clearly proves there are no young alternatives.
The next president will be second in command coordinating objectives of the Islamic Revolution, judiciary, State Expediency Council, religious schools and political parties and factions. In actuality, power structure in Iran is not centralized. For that reason, when trying to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, he will have to take into consideration regional/global developments, domestic underdevelopment, interests of all those sharing power as well as basic needs of ordinary people centered around social welfare, employment, internal affairs and social justice.
Conservatives, reformists and centrists all played crucial roles in previous elections. But now another current is in the making that carries with it the name ÔentrepreneurÕ and ÔinnovatorÕ and has characteristics of young people of radical management and crisis-oriented approach. They spent most of their time during the sacred defense era, hold high academic credentials and have the much-needed drive to get into the fields of economic management and development. Candidates should take note. These individuals will have a strong say in the forthcoming election.
People expect presidential hopefuls to address their future plans around the following topics: Sociopolitical, economic, security, military and cultural programs; fourth development plan strategies; social issues; economic priorities and practical approaches to privatization schemes leading to private sector development; employment and social justice; teamwork standards and so on.
In general, the future president and his team are expected to prioritize economic development on their agenda that can see wide-spread progress only through realistic strategies and privatization schemes. The future team will, in addition, have to address in practice the countryÕs competitive advantages and share in the global market, mainly in the fields of production industry (agriculture, industry), service industry (bank, tourism, transportation, insurance) and IT (software, hardware).