Marine Biodiversity of the ROPME Sea Area
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Biodiversity of the ROPME Sea Area (RSA) consists of a number of different individual species of organisms living in a variety of marine ecosystems. They are ecological, economical and socio-cultural importance, and also conservational importance when they become in threatened levels. The RSA provides the largest inhabitable space for a variety of fauna and flora. They live in habitat ranging from exposed beaches to the open sea environment which includes the benthic deep and shallow subtidal habitats, intertidal habitats; rocky, sandy and muddy shores; pelagic, mesopelagic and demersal habitats. The important group of biodiversity of RSA and the conservation management efforts taken to preserve certain biotic resources are briefed in the modules. |
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| ALGAL BLOOMS | ||||||||
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MILESTONES |
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FUTURE OUTLOOKS |
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| MANGROVES | ||||||||
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MILESTONES |
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| CORAL REEFS | ||||||||
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The numbers of coral species distributed among ROPME Member States’ coastal waters are: 31 species in Bahrain; 19 species in I.R. Iran; 26 species in Kuwait; 91 species in Oman; 8 species in Qatar and 34 species in UAE. Coral bleaching has been reported in Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and UAE because of high temperatures. Crown of Thorns Starfish (COTS) Acanthaster planci causes extensive damage to the coral reefs in Oman and UAE. Manual removal of COTS from infected coral reefs prevents mass destruction of coral reefs in the RSA. Coral reefs are subjected to a wide range of stress due to natural and human influences. Coral bleaching is reported in recent times in Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and UAE. |
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MILESTONES |
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| FISHERIES RESOURCES | ||||||||
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Commercial fisheries of the Region are supported by over 1000 fin and shellfish species. Of the Member States, highest landings were reported by I.R. Iran followed by Oman and UAE. Fisheries of the Region is affected due to degradation of marine environment by human activities. Over exploitation of stocks has been found in many biotic population which led to the implementation of the restrictions in Member States on fishing activities, such as, limiting fishing licences to reduce fishing efforts, regulating fishing gear (Mesh size) and capture size, closing fishing areas, restricting fishing season, and banning certain fisheries. |
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| MARINE TURTLES | ||||||||
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Carry out a Regional turtle project with the participation of Member States
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| SEA SNAKES | ||||||||
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| MARINE BIRDS | ||||||||
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| MARINE MAMMALS | ||||||||
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Red
Tide Bloom Micro-algae (phytoplankton) are the pastures
of the sea with great biological and ecological
significance, nevertheless their toxic blooms seem to be
intensifying and spreading all over the world, including
RSA. Though they provide the chief food supply for most
of the aquatic organisms, occasional occurrence of large
blooms of phytoplankton in RSA develops discoloration of
water and causes mass mortality of fish and other marine
organisms in the coastal and offshore waters as a result
of depletion of dissolved oxygen, gills clogging and
also toxins produced by certain species of algae. The
toxins from these algal species are accumulated by
bivalve molluscs of commercial value, such as clams,
mussels, oysters and cockles which filter feed on these
algal species. Many blooms are harmless while some
toxic species belonging to diatoms, dinoflagellates,
cynophyta etc., may cause fishkills or respiratory
irritation in humans or fatal due to the consumption of
toxin contaminated sea food. ROPME Secretariat is
keenly watching the Regional nature of HAB problems and
plays a pivotal role in Regional cooperation and
coordination. 
Mangroves
are found on the mudflats, and they provide living space
for more than 2,000 species of marine organisms. In the
RSA, because of severe climatic conditions and limited
habitats, there is only one species of scattered
population of mangrove, the Avicennia marina. Because
the air temperature drops to freezing in winter over the
extreme NW part of the inner RSA, mangrove trees are not
found in Kuwait and most of the NE coasts of Saudi
Arabia. On the Iranian coast, about 10,000 hectares of
Avicennia marina plants are found. Along the Oman
coasts and islands mangroves are scattered over more
than 20 sites with faunal assemblages of many species of
fish, crabs, shrimps and clams, over 200 bird species,
three species of turtles and four mammal Mangroves in
Fujairah, UAE species. In Qatar, mangroves are found on
the north-eastern coast. The standing biomass of the
UAE coast has been estimated between 70 and 110t/ha. 
Coral
reef Coral reefs are the jewels of the sea. Their
presence in the RSA is a unique example of the
adaptation of marine organisms in such extreme
environmental conditions. There are many patch reefs in
the RSA, with coral islands representing the peak of
their development. About 55–60 zooxanthellate species
have been identified in the RSA. Coral reefs in the
inner RSA live in an environment characterized by great
extremes of temperature and salinity, and high
turbidity. However, no coral species occur in places
with >46‰ salinity. Coral survival is limited where
physical conditions are more extreme. 
Penaeus
semisulcatus Shrimp is one of the most important seafood
commodities in the RSA. The richest shrimp resources
are found in I.R. Iran and Kuwaiti waters, with smaller
catches in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia
waters. The main species used for commercial
exploitation in Kuwait are Penaeus semisulcatus and
Metapenaeus affinis. In Omani waters, although 12 known
species occur, four species are used in commercial
fisheries, namely Penaeus indicus, P. semisulcatus,
Metapenaeus monoceros and M. stebbingi. In Bahraini
waters, of the seven penaeid species that exist,
commercial landings are from a single species, P. semisulcatus.
Panulirus
homarus Among lobsters, two species of
spiny lobster, Panulirus homarus and P. versicolor are
commercially exploited in the middle and outer RSA. The
shovel nose lobster, Thenus orientalis is
exploited as shrimp by-catch in Bahrain, whereas
Scyllarides squammasus is commonly caught in traps
in Oman. Crabs are found in different habitats in RSA.
The families Grapsidae and Ocypodidae
are the dominant faunal species of the intertidal flats
and mangroves of the Region, where six species of
grapsid and 21 taxa of ocypodid crabs are known to
occur. The crabs, Portunus pelagicus and Scylla serrata
are commercially important species in the RSA. 
Sepia
pharaonis Among molluscs, the abalone,
Haliotis mariae is found only in outer RSA,
restricted to the Dhofar coast of Oman. It is
commercially exploited. Pearl oysters belonging to the
Pinctada species are found in the RSA. The
species, Pinctada radiata is abundant in
Bahraini waters, and also common in Kuwaiti and Saudi
Arabian waters. However, P. margaritifera is
abundant along the Iranian coast. Interestingly, both
of these species are found along the Oman coast in the
Gulf of Oman. Among cephalopod molluscs, squids,
cuttlefish and octopus are the commercially important
groups occurring in the RSA. The Pharaoh cuttlefish,
Sepia pharaonis is also an important commercial
species in the RSA. 
Fishes
of RSA The inner RSA has >500 species of fish which live
in pelagic, demersal and coral reef habitats. Of these
species, about 130 species occur in Kuwait, 71 species
in Bahrain and 106 species in Saudi Arabia. In the
middle and outer RSA off Oman, about 1,138 species of
fish are known to occur. Environmental extremes in the
inner RSA have restricted the distribution of many
species of fish. On the other hand, the high species
diversity of Oman’s fish fauna is a result of the
diversity of coastal habitats, a wide climatic spectrum
and the geographic location in the north-western
upwelling region of the Indian Ocean. 
Chelonia
mydas Marine turtles have a prominent
place among the fauna of the RSA. All five species of
sub-tropical sea turtle are known to occur in the
Region, where the females come to the beach for
nesting. Although turtles nest on the beaches and
certain islands of Bahrain, I.R. Iran, Kuwait, Qatar and
Saudi Arabia, three of the turtle nesting locations in
Oman are of international significance. Masirah Island
has the largest nesting population of Loggerhead
turtles, while Ra’s Al-Hadd supports the largest nesting
aggregation of Green turtle, Chelonia mydas
known in the northern Indian Ocean, and Damaniyat
Islands support extensive Hawksbill turtle nesting. Sea
bird Sterna spp. and Ghost crab, Ocypode rotundata
are the major predators of turtle hatchlings. 
Pelamis
platurus Sea snakes are the most venomous
snakes in the world. Nine species of sea snakes are
known to occur in the RSA. Of these, the hook-nosed or
beak-nosed sea snake, Enhydrina
schistosa and the annulated sea snake,
Hydrophis cyanocinctus are the most dangerous
species in the Region. The Hydrophis is the most common
species in the Region, found in muddy, warm waters and
its preferred habitat is the soft substrate of the inner
RSA. 
Flamingos
The RSA has a diverse marine bird community of great
international importance. A large number of seabirds
breed on the offshore islands, especially the Socotra
cormorant and the terns Sterninae. The
flamingos are present throughout the year in the tidal
and mud flats of Bahrain. The intertidal zone of the RSA
is estimated to support up to four million waders during
winter, making RSA one of the five most important
regions of the world for wintering waders. The subtidal
zone is also internationally important during migratory
seasons for populations of about 20 other species of
water birds including grebes, cormorants, herons,
flamingos, gulls and terns. 
Marine
mammals, dugongs, dolphins and whales inhabit the RSA.
The estimated population of dugongs in the RSA is 7310,
making the RSA the most important area for this species
in the western part of its range and second in global
importance only to Australia. Altogether, about twenty
dolphins and whale species are known to occur in the
RSA.