The aquaponics project is the integrated culture of tilapia and various plants such as peppermint, celery, pepper, fodder beet and broccoli. The water cycle in this system is such that about 99 % of the water flows out of the fish ponds is used for the cultivation of plants and the rest is returned to the existing pools. The project on broodstock development of 5 new strains of tilapia has started since last year with the arrival of these strains in Iran, in order to conduct applied studies, and now there are about 80,000 of them at the National Research Centre of Saline - water Aquatics in Bafgh, Yazd. The two projects, which were carried out by the fisheries researchers, were unveiled today in the presence of Dr. Bazargan, the head of the Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization, Dr. Khon Mirzaei, the head of the Iran Fisheries Organization, Dr. Bahmani, the director of the Iranian Fisheries Science and Research Institute, Dr. Azimi, the deputy governor for economic affairs of the Yazd Governorate, Mr. Sajjadipour, the head of the Organization of Agriculture - Jahad - Yazd, along with a group of provincial managers, researchers, experts and professors of the University of Tehran. At the meeting with the members of the Tilapia Specialized Working Group in the Yazd Governorate Office, Dr. Bazargan referred to the US sanctions against Iran and mentioned: These sanctions have increased the responsibility of the research sector and therefore the production of science and knowledge is of paramount importance. The deputy minister and the head of the Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization added: In this regard, considering the saline - water resources that exist in Yazd province and the need for job creation in different regions of the country, there is the best potential for tilapia production in this province. He continued: With the efforts of researchers, a significant part of the technical problems for tilapia farming have been solved, but the issue of starting a business and creating wealth from this knowledge has problems that need to be solved. Dr. Bazargan emphasized the need for a chain view on tilapia production and stated: Stimulating demand is very important due to the low consumption of fish in the country. This will be possible by holding festivals related to tilapia, broadcasting TV commercials as well as introducing by- products such as tilapia leather. According to the official of the Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization, the launch of startups for tilapia from production to consumption in Yazd is one of the issues that can reduce the dependence of this area on banking facilities by implementing relevant projects. Dr. Bazargan believes: By observing environmental issues, we can see productive employment, food production and wealth creation in Yazd province, the main base of which is on a tilapia fish production line. He emphasized: Given the cessation of imports of tilapia fillets from China, it is an opportunity to boost production and meet the needs of the domestic market. Dr. Bazargan said: Today, with the unveiling of these two projects, valuable work has been done in the field of fisheries research which is due to the efforts of the researchers of the Iranian Fisheries Science and Research Institute. The director of the Iranian Fisheries Science and Research Institute pointed out that the institute has 11 specialized research centers and research institutes in the country and said: We believe that research with the participation of the private sector will lead to the production of knowledge, and therefore fisheries researchers do not consider themselves separate from this sector. Dr. Bahmani added: The issue of tilapia farming in the form of aquaponics and the production of five new strains of this fish to prevent inbreeding in the future is one of the most important measures that fisheries researchers have made great efforts to implement it. He added: The transfer of technical knowledge of these two national projects to the private sector can be an important step in tilapia farming and be in line with the jump in production. The director of the Iranian Fisheries Science and Research Institute stated: The task of the Iranian Fisheries Science and Research Institute is to produce technical knowledge that provides the obtained technical guidelines to the Iran Fisheries Organization. Also, according to the announcement of the approvals of the High Fisheries Commissions by the high official of the Ministry, one of the obligations of the institute is the diversification of aquatic organisms; So that in the production of tilapia, it must be carried out with an environmental view and special attention to the stability and preservation of the ecosystem. He believes: Since the tilapia is a non - native species, it is necessary for the Iran Fisheries Organization to develop a protocol for the development of tilapia farming based on technical and research protocols to reduce the risk of invasion to zero. The development of tilapia farming should be carried out in enclosed environments especially in greenhouses and without any possibility of communication with aquatic ecosystems and only in the provinces where the Department of Environment has issued permits for tilapia farming (Yazd, Qom, Semnan, South Khorasan and South Kerman). The official of the Iranian Fisheries Science and Research Institute noted: Economic and social studies should be conducted on the production capacity assessment of this species and preferably in the form of packages for production to processing using the model of controlled production complexes. Naturally, the researchers of the Iranian Fisheries Science and Research Institute will continue their studies and provide relevant knowledge packages. Dr. Khon Mirzaei, the deputy minister and the head of the Iran Fisheries Organization, noted that the production of aquatic products has increased 40 times since the beginning of the Islamic Revolution. He said: Although early in the Islamic Revolution, the production of aquatic products did not exceed a total of 32,000 tons, but now it has reached more than 1,280,000 tons. The head of the Iran Fisheries Organization added: Tilapia farming has been one of the priorities of the Iran Fisheries Organization and in a program for the year of “A Jump in Production”, we have addressed the issue of tilapia farming. The official of the Iran Fisheries Organization emphasized the need to remove production barriers for the investors and exploiters and stated: It is necessary for the Organization of Agriculture - Jahad - Yazd to prepare a memorandum of understanding for the exploitation of unconventional waters. He believes that facilitating investment and issuing licenses for tilapia farming should be on the agenda of those in charge so that investors do not get caught up in the cycles of administrative bureaucracy. In this way, the assistance of the research department, the governorate and the Organization of Agriculture - Jahad is also necessary. Dr. Alizadeh, the head of the National Research Centre of Saline - water Aquatics Bafgh (Yazd), presented a detailed report on the introduction of tilapia. In this report, he mentioned the advantages of tilapia such as high resistance, high production capability, acceptable tolerability as well as high protein content and production of the least effluent. He also cited the use of applied research, the production of knowledge - based products, the introduction of business and promotional models for reproduction and production using new technologies as well as the conservation of genetic resources for the broodstock development of selectively bred tilapia for private breeding centers as key issues for tilapia. It should be noted that at the end of the meeting, the representatives of the private sector expressed their problems and the officials offered solutions to solve these problems. Dr. Bazargan, Dr. Khon Mirzaei and Dr. Bahmani along with the accompanying delegation visited the sections related to biofloc system, aquaponics and the production of five new strains of tilapia at the National Research Centre of Saline - water Aquatics.