The area is pastoralist and is governed by traditional laws of land inheritance, so demands to produce a title are almost impossible to fulfill, especially within the mandated 60-day time frame. A consortium of 60 village heads met many times after these announcements to condemn the project, promising to organize marches, petitions, and meetings with UN representatives. In December 2011 the Saudi company, The National Prawn Company and Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector signed an MoU to provide advisory services to Al Rajhi, leading up to a feasibility and legal environmental study. NPC is owned by the Al Rajhi and Al Sudairi families with the Japanese trading house Sojitz holding a minority stake. Its project in the salt marshes of Sabkha is the biggest Shrimp Farm in the world.

The shrimps are produced for export to Asia and Europe, primarily London. In February of 2013 the government of Mauritania, the National Prawn Company, and Al Rajhi signed another $1 billion MoU to 'transform the food security road map' with expertise in livestock, agriculture, and aquaculture, but details are vague and no reports were found after.

The feedstock for shrimp farms is imported fishmeal. Saltwater aquafarming has also less efficient protein conversion rates than herbivorous sweet water fish,