Qatar’s coral reefs in peril, warns expert (18/5/2008)

Qatar’s coral reefs in peril, warns expert

By Bonnie JamesQATAR’S beautiful coral reefs are in grave danger of disappearing due to indiscriminate scuba diving and fishing activities, a researcher has warned.“Some scuba divers are using spear guns in the reefs and killing any fish that come their way,” Qatar University’s Environmental Studies Centre (ESC) director Mohsin al-Ansi told Gulf Times in an interview. While spear guns are banned in coral reefs all over the world, Qatar does not have specific legislation in this regard, he explained. “Some of these divers have even uploaded videos of ‘their catch’ on YouTube and this is such a shame on Qatar,” the researcher stated. During trips in the Qatari waters in the only dedicated research vessel in GCC countries, al-Ansi and his team had come across several shocking examples of rampant destruction of marine wealth. “A coral reef takes hundreds of years to grow and if the damage inflicted by human beings is coupled to the problems including high water temperature, we will see nothing later,” al-Ansi lamented. Referring to a video from Qatar on YouTube, he recalled seeing a scuba diver showing off as many as 30 grouper (a kind of fish) he caught with his spear gun. “How many would he eat, one, may be two, and the rest is discarded,” al-Ansi said while pointing out that grouper could not be found in the Bahraini and Kuwaiti waters and the same fate could befall Qatar. The researcher pointed out that coral reefs are equivalent to jungles on the land. “It is not only fish that gets life from the reefs, but thousands of different marine life forms,” he said. Asked if lack of awareness could be a reason for the use of spear guns, al-Ansi stated even educated people did that. “Some friends have told me that they would like to come along on my sea trips with their spear guns,” he maintained. Even the artificial reef balls, deployed by the ESC around Qatar, are not safe, when the ‘reckless’ scuba divers come to know about them. Some fishing boat operators also do extensive damage to the marine wealth, though Qatar stopped trawling since 1992, al-Ansi charged. “They deploy hundreds of metal traps, very long drift nets, and multi-lines with thousands of hooks, catching everything, collecting what they like and discarding the rest,” he said. Metal traps move with the current and hit against the reefs, damaging them. Drift nets, measuring up to 6km, scoop up fish indiscriminately, and the multi-lines also do the same. “Qatar and Oman are the only countries in the Gulf exporting fish, but the authorities concerned should think whether Qatar really needs the revenue from this export,” al-Ansi suggested. The researcher was of the view that the fact that Qatar has surplus catch for export is indicative of excess fishing. The anchors deployed by fishing boats are also damaging coral reefs and oyster beds. “We could substitute the traditional anchors with mooring buoys and floating anchors,” he observed. Qatar needs stringent laws, that are enforced effectively, to protect its marine environment and they should not be delayed any further, al-Ansi added.