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Coral monitoring stations in Fujairah, Dibba

FUJAIRAH — Four coral reef monitoring stations have been positioned on the seabed between Fujairah city and Dibba after a survey of reefs was done from July 29 to August 7 along the coast of Fujairah by the Department of Environment of Fujairah Municipality, National Coral Reef Institute (NCRI, Florida, USA) and the Emirates Wildlife Society in association with the World Wide Fund for Nature (EWS - WWF).

The purpose of the monitoring stations is to study the re-growth and re-colonisation of corals damaged during Cyclone Gonu, which struck the shores of Oman, UAE, Iran and Pakistan in June 2007.

To benefit from the presence in the UAE of coral reef experts from NCRI for an ongoing research programme in the waters of Abu Dhabi where monitoring stations have already been set up, the EWS-WWF with Fujairah Municipality and partners, has decided to install similar stations along the eastern coast.

Dying coral reefs

Besides recording post cyclone re-colonisation of corals, these monitoring stations will allow comparisons between population of corals in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

Globally, coral reefs are dying at an accelerating pace. According to recent estimates, up to 35 per cent of the coral reefs worldwide may have been lost already due to natural causes like fluctuation of temperatures, attacks by the Crown of Thorns starfish (acanthaster planci), and anthropogenic stresses such as oil pollution, unmanaged coastal development, unregulated commercial and recreational fishing and diving.

Natural disasters

When a natural phenomenon occurs, like the recent Cyclone Gonu on the eastern coast of UAE, coral reefs suffer but are able to recover, provided no other supplementary stresses, such as the aforementioned ones, occur.

The survey along Fujairah and installation of stations was facilitated by the Fujairah Marine Club as well as Dibba-Fujairah Municipality and Marine Research Centre of the Ministry of Environment and Water that provided all logistical support for the Dibba sites.

The coral monitoring stations include three basic components: settlement plate rack resembling a tree with steel branches supporting small limestone tiles that act as artificial substrate on which the coral larvae will attach; photo transects along three lines of about 12m disposed in a “mercedes star” pattern from the settlement plate rack; temperature recorders.

To ensure that these monitoring stations do not suffer damage, an information notice has been provided by the NCRI, to alert all divers associations, clubs and centres about the operation.

Meeting planned

A formal meeting of all the stakeholders to discuss the preliminary results of the survey and further collaborations has been planned in Fujairah in September-October 2007.

Coral reefs in the UAE, play important ecological, economic, recreational and cultural roles by providing food and shelter for numerous fish and marine species, protecting coasts from erosion, supporting commercial fishing and an array of recreational activities.

Fish fauna

The coastal and offshore waters of Arabian Sea in the emirate of Fujairah support a rich and diverse fish fauna, including many species of reef-associated fish, seasonally abundant large pelagic species, and small schooling fish.

Fujairah has a number of unique seafront attractions, including wonderful beaches and islands. Tourist traffic to the emirate rose by more than 50 per cent in the last couple of years.

The construction in the north of Bidiyah, of the first international hotel to open on the East Coast in over two decades, has generated renewed interest in Fujairah and has been a catalyst for further development of the tourism sector. Five more hotels and marinas in the same area have already been started in 2005 and further projects are expected.

Increased pressures

With the tremendous industrial and tourism development of the country, the pressure is increasing on the coral reefs, used as breeding, foraging and shelter for numerous fish and marine species. There is then an urgent need to better understand the role Fujairah’s coastal waters play in the conservation of marine biodiversity, spawning and nursery grounds for the regional coral reefs and fish stocks, and to mitigate the impacts of coastal development and other activities.

His Highness Shaikh Hamad bin Mohammad Al Sharqi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Fujairah, had issued an Emiri Decree in 1995 to establish four marine protected areas in Fujairah: Dibba, Al Faqueet, Dadna and Al Aqa.

A further step in developing effective conservation and management of coastal marine habitats, as vital resources for biodiversity, fishery and tourism, is the provision of information on the distribution, abundance, composition and health of these habitats through a mapping and assessment of the status.