How is Qatar serving to to preserve a few of nature’s most endangered sea creatures? Qatar 365 took to the ocean to search out out extra in regards to the nation’s tasks that embrace defending nesting sea turtles, stopping boats from harming whale sharks and restoring the meals supply of dugongs.
Restoring dugongs’ meals supply
Qatar is residence to the world's second largest inhabitants of dugongs, or sea cows. The ocean mammal is at a really excessive threat of extinction.
However a singular mission in Qatar is specializing in rising their meals supply in an try and cease them from disappearing from our oceans.
Proof of the marine mammals dates again hundreds of thousands of years - now they face severe dangers as they arrive up for air; from speedboats or fishing nets. Within the final 50 years their numbers have dropped by round 25 %.
“We hope these dugongs may be seen by our son, by our grandson and nice grandson. How to try this? You could shield them now,” mentioned Dr Mehsin Al Yafei, a marine scientist.
Dugongs feed on seagrass, consuming as much as 40 kilograms per day. The equal of roughly two soccer fields is misplaced every year – which is why a workforce of consultants right here try to rebuild and restore seagrass meadows.
The workforce collects samples – checking on the water high quality to see if new crops are thriving. The meadows present shelter, refuge, and meals for a lot of marine species.
Whale shark feeding grounds
The elusive whale shark can be susceptible to dying out. With attribute dotted fins, these light giants have turn out to be an endangered species through the years. However there's one place off Qatar’s shoreline the place a whole bunch can nonetheless be seen gathering every year.
Main whale shark analysis scientist Mohammed Jaidah explains why the situation is so particular: “This can be a phenomena that occurs in Al Shaheen. In summer season there's a whole lot of evaporation of the ocean water due to the warmth, and the common temperature of the Gulf is about 34. However we present in Al Shaheen truly the temperature common is 27.
“It's the excellent temperature for fish egg incubation. The whale sharks come to feed on the fish eggs. Usually they feed on plankton however right here with the fish eggs, in the event that they take the identical quantity it is going to be triple in gaining fats and vitality and protein of their system.”
The variety of whale sharks in Qatar has truly been rising through the years, Mr Jaidah says, as his workforce began pushing to scale back the variety of ships within the space. “They keep away from the space, they usually maintain an eye fixed out – once they see the whale sharks they keep away from them. So it's a very good protected space for the whale sharks. So the whale sharks are literally coming with extra numbers.”
Defending the nesting grounds of hawksbill turtles
Hawksbill turtles are probably the most endangered of the seven species of sea turtles, with estimates suggesting there are lower than 25,000 nesting females globally.
Specialists in Qatar are targeted on conserving eight areas within the nation the turtles are recognized to frequent, together with a bit of Fuwairit Seashore.
All through nesting season, which runs from April to June, groups from Qatar College’s Environmental Science Heart, and the Ministry of Atmosphere and Local weather Change, patrol the seaside in search of turtle tracks, in a mission sponsored by Qatar Power.
They monitor the nesting inhabitants, rely the variety of females, tag them, and rely the variety of eggs, relocating many to a close-by hatchery to guard them from any pure hazards, together with flooding.
Mark Chatting, a researcher and scientific diver, explains that it’s vital to check these turtles with regard to local weather change: “The nest temperatures we get in nests listed here are what folks predict will occur within the Caribbean in 50 years’ time, so we’re already experiencing that right here. And that’s to not be alarmist – however you recognize seeing how these turtles have tailored to these circumstances may give insights into what could occur elsewhere.”
Qatar is elevating consciousness of the significance of conservation efforts to assist nesting hawksbills, and tasks like these are very important to make sure that this subsequent era of hawksbill turtles have a combating likelihood.
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