Ocean Sentry
(From thenational.ae) United Arab Emirates – Experts will gather in Kuwait this month to urgently discuss the algal bloom that has plagued the UAE east coast, causing widespread destruction to fish and threatening the marine tourism industry. The algae, blooms of which are commonly known as “red tide”, had spread from the UAE up to Muscat in Oman and on to Iran, and scientists are racing to find ways to stop its spread before the ocean warms in spring and summer, providing ideal conditions for the bloom to return in full force.
The problem is much worse than experts in the UAE had estimated, having affected more than 1,000km of coastline in the region, and experts say it has destroyed thousands of tonnes of fish and marine mammals. The three-day Kuwait meeting, starting on Jan 26, has been organised by the Kuwait-based Regional Organisation for the Protection of the Marine Environment (Ropme).
The algae’s effect on fish is lethal. When it blooms, it generates oxygen radicals that damage their gills, leading to suffocation. Scores of dead fish have been washing ashore since September last year. In December moray eels, parrot fish and sergeant majors died in large numbers. Other tropical fish were alive, but barely.
Scores of trunk fish, curiously shaped bottom-dwelling creatures, have been seen swimming right up to the surface, struggling for a breath of air.
Late last year divers were also noticing signs of coral bleaching, the first sign that corals might be dying because of the bloom.
