GEO-6 Regional Asssement for West Asia Total Catch (000's mt)


Figure 2.3.1: GCC countries, landed fish catches 1986–2007


100 150 200 250 300 350


1985 1990 Source: Grandcourt 2012


Warming seawaters can affect all levels of diversity in the marine environment in a number of ways, including changes in the morphology, behaviour and physiology of organisms, recruitment and dispersal of populations, and interactions between ecosystem components.


The increase in the frequency and prolongation of positive seawater temperature anomalies is probably the greatest threat to coral reefs in the ROPME Sea Area and Red Sea. The ROPME waters witnessed massive coral bleaching and mortality in 1996 and 1998, with maximum sea-surface temperatures reaching 37.3°C in 1996 and 38.0°C in 1998.


Sea level rise poses threats on coastlines. Flooding of coastal areas with seawater will reduce agricultural land and destroy economic and population centres. A 1 metre rise in sea level is expected to directly affect 41 500 square kilometres of coastal area, mostly in Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE (Figures 2.3.2).


It is projected that 83 square kilometres, or 11 per cent of the total land area of Bahrain, would be lost by 2050 from a 0.3 metre increase in mean sea level (Al-Jeneid et al. 2008).


62 1995 Year 2000 2005 2010


Invasive species in the marine environment are globally one of the most serious threats to marine biodiversity. Activities such as shipping, aquaculture and fisheries contribute to the spreading of invasive species into coastal and marine habitats. (Otero et al. 2013). Introduction of aquatic invasive species is considered one of the major threats facing the marine environment in West Asia (More...13).


Ballast water is a major source of invasive species. It is estimated that around 2.7 million cubic metres of water from different regions of the world may be transported to ROPME waters and the Arabian Sea each year. Around 14 species have been identified as suspect alien introductions in the ROPME Sea Area. Impacts of invasive species range from displacing native species to altering food-web dynamics and changing habitat type (Naser 2014).


2.3.3 Policy responses for coastal and marine resources management


Strategic planning


Several countries in West Asia, such as Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are increasingly incorporating environmental concerns, including those related to the marine environment, into their strategic plans and visions. Such initiatives can form important platforms for the management of coastal and marine environments.


Around 23.89 square kilometres of Syrian beaches and agricultural zones could be lost by 2100 through a 1.3 metre rise in sea level. The sea level along the Lebanese coastline might increase by 22–45 centimetres by 2050, with severe impacts on economic, agricultural and tourist activities.


Sensitive coastal and intertidal ecosystems such as mangroves and mudflats in the ROPME Sea Area and the Red Sea are susceptible to sea-level rise. Climate change, including warming associated with multiple coastal stressors, is associated with the disappearance or reduction of Posidonia oceanica meadows in Syrian and Lebanese waters.


Invasive species


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