DM releases 70,000 fingerlings into sea

DM releases 70,000 fingerlings into sea Staff Reporter / 11 July 2013 To preserve the marine environment, 70,000 baby fish have been released into the sea. Khalid Sulaitin, head of Environment Emergency Office, said, “70,000 fingerlings of Sobaity and Sha’am fishes were released in the Mamzar sea to preserve the environment and biodiversity.” Sulaitin explained that till about 30-35 years ago, there used to be a healthy population of fish in the waters at Al Mamzar but the new projects had endangered their lives. They were now working to fix that gap, and the releasing of these fishlings in the water was a step in that direction. Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director-General of Dubai Municipality said that the civic body had chosen these two types of fish considering their rapid breeding — they lay eggs in less than six months and proliferate in a maximum period of six to nine months. Each egg of these fish contained two to three million larva, which meant it could quickly proliferate, feeding the marine environment with a large number of fish. As for the heat, Lootah said, “The summer does not pose a threat to them as they acclimatise with the water temperature and the depth of the water will be appropriate for them. They will be far from Al Mamzar Beach dedicated to marine and other games, which will allow it to reproduce without any risk.” He added that the municipality would cooperate with the Emirates Association for Fishermen to release approximately 150,000 to 200,000 fingerlings of different species of local and other fishes every year expecting a large amount of growth in fisheries. Sulaitin said he was in touch with Al Mubarak Fishes Co,, the company which donated these fish. Lootah urged the public to help in the preservation of the marine environment by supporting such eco-friendly projects. news@khaleejtimes.com Taylor Scott International