Middle Eastern Seas
Protected areas with coral reefs
K Site name
Designation
Abbreviation
lUCN »i.
Size ikm'i
Year
Iran
Sheedvar Island
Ramsar Site
8.70
1999
Saudi Arabia
Dawat Ad-Dafl/Dawat
Protected Area
Al-Musallamlyah/Coral Islands
PA
Unassigned 2 100.00
na
south. Some 35 coral species have been recorded from
around Hormuz Island. As Iran has the deepest and least
saline waters of the Gulf, it seems likely that further research
may reveal new reef areas and considerable biodiversity.
Fishing is an important industry. From 1989 to 1995
there was a near doubling of the number of fishing vessels
to more than 9 000. although fish catches did not show
similar increases. Efforts to control the effects of trawling
may actually have led to an increase in the impacts on
coral reef species. There is also an ornamental fish trade.
notably operating from the free trade areas of Kish and
Qeshm Islands. Other human impacts, considerable in
major industrial areas in the northwest and around Kish
and Qeshm. include sedimentation and pollution, together
with solid waste and anchor damage. Around Kish Island,
algal overgrowth of corals in the late 1990s has been
attributed to increased nutrient levels. The narrow waters
around the Straits of Hormuz are among the busiest tanker
lanes in the world, representing an ongoing threat to the
southernmost reefs.
Left; Large groupers are still sold in (he fish marl
19961. Right, below: The port of Dammam in Saudi Arabia, showing intensive coastal development lSTS078-7i8- 10. 19961.
Protected areas with coral reefs
K Site name
Designation
Abbreviation
lUCN »i.
Size ikm'i
Year
Iran
Sheedvar Island
Ramsar Site
8.70
1999
Saudi Arabia
Dawat Ad-Dafl/Dawat
Protected Area
Al-Musallamlyah/Coral Islands
PA
Unassigned 2 100.00
na
south. Some 35 coral species have been recorded from
around Hormuz Island. As Iran has the deepest and least
saline waters of the Gulf, it seems likely that further research
may reveal new reef areas and considerable biodiversity.
Fishing is an important industry. From 1989 to 1995
there was a near doubling of the number of fishing vessels
to more than 9 000. although fish catches did not show
similar increases. Efforts to control the effects of trawling
may actually have led to an increase in the impacts on
coral reef species. There is also an ornamental fish trade.
notably operating from the free trade areas of Kish and
Qeshm Islands. Other human impacts, considerable in
major industrial areas in the northwest and around Kish
and Qeshm. include sedimentation and pollution, together
with solid waste and anchor damage. Around Kish Island,
algal overgrowth of corals in the late 1990s has been
attributed to increased nutrient levels. The narrow waters
around the Straits of Hormuz are among the busiest tanker
lanes in the world, representing an ongoing threat to the
southernmost reefs.
Left; Large groupers are still sold in (he fish marl
19961. Right, below: The port of Dammam in Saudi Arabia, showing intensive coastal development lSTS078-7i8- 10. 19961.