120,000 Black-finned Seabream, Black Seabream Released Into Sea

KISR Kick-Starts ‘Enrich Fish Stock’ Campaign

Under auspices of His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) released into the sea 120,000 black-finned seabream and black seabream fishes at the onset of a campaign to enrich the country’s fish stock.

The campaign is part of KISR’s strategic project which started in 2010 and a fish farming program that aim to conserve the marine life, KISR’s Director General Dr Naji Al-Mutairi told reporters on Monday. “It is conducted by the Institute’s Environment and Life Sciences Research Center (ELSRC),” he said, noting that the fish farming program has made strides in meeting the growing demand for fish in the last three years.

“Kuwait imports 9,349 tons of fish annually which meet 64.4 percent of the local consumption while fishing in the territorial waters covers the remaining percentage or 4,305 tons,” Dr Al- Mutairi said, citing the 2013 report of the Ministry of Planning. “The report shows that the quantity of fished peprilus dropped from 1,100 tons in 2012 to 247 tons in the following year, and signals to similar drops in other types of fish,” he went on. Dr Al-Mutairi noted that KISR is addressing this problem through two approaches; first to collect data on the fish stocks, the fishing tools and techniques, the sizes and ages of fish and shrimp, and the dates of mating and hatching, and to offer advice to fishermen.

Secondly, the institute has been working over the last four decades to improve care for fish and shrimp offsprings through introducing the latest techniques of fish farming, protection of the marine life and preserving the biodiversity, he added. He extolled His Highness the Crown Prince for sponsoring the campaign, saying that his patronage indicates the care of the political leadership for the sustainable development of the fish resources.

On his part, director of the ELSRC operation division Eng. Faisal Al-Halil said the center has developed eight research programs, four of which focus on how to conserve the marine life and biodiversity. “The four programs are the farming of marine creatures, the management of marine resources, the management of coasts, and the protection against pollution and climate change,” he added.

Source : Arab Times

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