Dubai: The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment on Saturday installed 100 artificial caves at Jumeirah Fishing Harbour in Dubai, in cooperation with Delma Marine Industrial Supply & Marine Services Company (Delma Marine).
The installation is part of the first phase of the agreement signed between the ministry and Delma Marine last December to build and install artificial habitats in UAE waters.
The artificial caves were named Zayed Marine Reserves to commemorate the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s commitment to the environment. The installation of these caves will help ensure the sustainability of the marine environment and step up the development of living aquatic resources in the UAE.
Dr Thani Bin Ahmad Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, and Major General Pilot Ahmad Mohammad Bin Thani, chairman of the Marine Conservation Society, witnessed the installation of the artificial caves.
Al Zeyoudi said: “Commencing the implementation of the first phase of the MoU [Memorandum of Understanding] with Delma Marine is in line with the ministry’s strategy to support the sustainability of the marine environment, promote research and studies on marine biodiversity, build incubators for young fish in the coastal marine environment and to enhance the fisheries stock. This agreement aims to strengthen the partnership between the government and private sectors and promote the value of social responsibility among private sector companies.”
Other caves will be installed in various locations, to be determined later this year.
Al Zeyoudi said the agreement aims to support the ‘Artificial Caves Programme’ launched by the ministry in 2016 as part of the ongoing efforts to promote fishing as an occupation and improve the sustainability of fish stock.
Ayoub Al Khajah, director-general of Delma Marine, said: “At Delma Marine, we were keen to support the ministry’s Artificial Caves Programme and made sure to build the caves from eco-friendly materials. We agreed to name these caves Zayed Marine Reserves in recognition of the environmental achievements of the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan — the Man of the Environment — in preserving fisheries and marine life.”
Maj Gen Ahmad Mohammad Bin Thani said: “Sustaining the marine environment and preserving fisheries is one of the main elements of environmental sustainability targeted by the UAE Vision 2021. The installation of artificial caves serves this target well as they represent an alternative for natural habitats that incubate marine life, particularly small fish. Such efforts facilitate research and control activities to assess the current state of the marine environment.”
