Spanish researchers will collaborate with a university in Saudi Arabia on a project that will provide scientific and technical basis for the sustainable management of fisheries in the Gulf of Arabia.
The initiative will be joined by experts from the Expert Technology Centre for Marine and Food Research (AZTI-Tecnalia) and from the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM).
The planned research will be useful to know the current status of fisheries in the Gulf of Arabia, the resource dynamics and stock assessment.
Furthermore, it is expected that the results contribute to improve fishing efficiency and to reduce production costs and environmental impacts. And they are also expected to help preserve natural resources and benefit from marine life diversity.
Researchers from both organizations will discuss the status of the various habitats that are necessary for the sustainability of fisheries resources, such as coral reefs, marine phanerogamic meadows, mangroves and rocky bottoms.
The research on habitats is expected to focus on spawning and nursery areas.
The study will also include the environmental impacts caused by the different fishing methods used in the Gulf, especially considering the impact of trawling on the seabed habitats and of all the fishing gear on the by-catch of species not targeted by the fleet.
The Basque Government stressed that this project highlights the importance of AZTI-Tecnalia commitment due to the specialization and to the fact that it is an international reference in its knowledge areas.
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