IF YOU are a lover of seafood, then you might have noticed that certain varieties of fish are increasingly hard to find in the market. Zobaidi, which was a regular in any seafood fare, is on the wane. The yield of Zobaidi and some other fish species has declined steadily over the years.
Dr Mohsen Al-Husaini, Research Scientist at Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), explores the mystery of the disappearing fishes. His researches and studies have unraveled a complex network of factors, involving human intervention and climate change, upsetting the delicate balance of marine ecosystem harming the fish stocks.

His department has identified the problems, some of them local and some international, and has hammered out solutions too. He has to perform a fine balancing act between industrial needs, diet needs of the people, ecology, nature’s rhythms and the freedom of the people to use the sea for their recreation and enjoyment. It’s an arduous task, and he has the support of other agencies too.
The challenges are big. The weakness of will to enforce regulations is a major drawback, he deems. He also dwells on macro factors such as how the dams in neighboring countries are affecting the flow of fresh water and in turn the marine ecosystem downstream.
Will some of our favorite fish delicacies today become just part of folklore to be recounted to our grandchildren as mere stories of the past? Read on to appreciate which other varieties of fish are due to disappear from your dining table.

Q: Dr Mohsen, as a research scientist in KISR in the Department of Aquaculture Fisheries and Marine Environment, can you tell us something about your actual area of specialization and the nature of your work?
A: I am specialized in fisheries science which involves; fisheries biology, fishery stock assessment, age determination of fishes, and fisheries management. Age determination is very important for accurate stock assessment. Stock assessment depends on age determination in fishes, and is a unique branch in itself. I have specialized in age determination and stock assessment at the same time. We advise the government and the industry regarding fish stocks in Kuwaiti waters.
We have joint research projects with other fishery organizations and institutions in the region. We cooperate with the other countries in the region in this field through involvement in committees with similar organizations in the Arabian Gulf like FAO and the GCC or through bilateral cooperation.

Q: Marine eco system is very complicated and fishery is part of that system. A lot of factors must be influencing your work. What are the main challenges you face in your field of specialization?
A: Talking of challenges, there are many challenges on different fronts. On the industrial front the main challenge now is low catches or shortage of supply and hence high fish prices, because the stocks are down due to over-exploitation. There is massive depletion of certain species of fish.
The challenge of the industry is also our challenge because we also advise the industry. Our objective is to increase fish yield for fishermen and maximize their profits. We also help in developing policies to streamline harvesting methods. This is the main challenge for us because we are here to solve the problems of the country. We help the government and the private sector to improve the economy and to optimize sustainable productivity.
It is hard to solve all problems. There are multi users of the marine ecosystem that compounds the problem making solutions complicated.

Q: What do you mean by multi users?
A: By multi users I mean that there are many sectors that use the marine ecosystem. There is the fisheries industry that exploits the fish resources, oil industry, the ship trafficking, tourism and recreation, and etc... These are multi users, who affect the marine ecosystem in one way or another. Then on top of this there are also natural causes that are taking a toll on marine ecosystem. We have changing climate, and the fear of rise in sea level. Northern area of the Arabian Gulf contains several rivers that are important for the ecosystem’s health. These rivers supply fresh water to the ecosystem and support many species of marine life, both plants and animals, thrive well. Our ecosystem was rich in nutrients that are good for phytoplankton and zooplankton, which in turn support the survival and the productivity of fish resources. However, the dynamics of this system is changing now, because of the decrease of flow of freshwater from the northern countries.
This has happened because of man’s intervention in building dams in Turkey and Syria and altering of freshwater supply to rivers like Euphrates and Tigris and the marshes of Iraq. Iran has dams as well, although, that has not affected our marine ecosystem much now.
All these ecosystem changes are challenging issues to us. How do we manage the crisis? The issue is not about just focusing on managing fishery stocks. However, we cannot isolate our research from the rest of the ecosystem. We have to look at the whole ecosystem in a holistic approach. That is why we are directing our research disciplines towards new ecosystem-based management methods.
Our future objective is to manage the whole of marine ecosystem because the fish stocks are not living independent of their surroundings such as other biological components of the ecosystem, changes in physical and chemical water quality, nutrients, and food web. So you have to study the whole ecosystem.
Another challenge is that of international water boundaries. The fish resources do not go by these international borderlines. They move freely between different countries. Kuwait’s sea area is small and there are many neighboring countries that share the same fishery stocks. The populations of these stocks migrate between the countries. They lay eggs in one country and feed in another country where migration occurs in different phases of their lifecycle.
So the fishing methods and seasons of one country affect the fish resources of another country. If the fish are caught before their breeding seasons, then the stock in another country gets depleted. In this way, the marine ecosystems of different countries are interlinked. Therefore, we in the Mariculture and Fisheries Department of KISR also work with other countries to bring about a common understanding and cooperation between us for better management of the stocks and in terms of research and finding solutions. We also share results of our studies of oceanography and marine biology and so on to be able to arrive at viable solutions for the benefit of all.
We have already started on this path, like Zobaidy stock assessment project. This joint research project was performed in order to understand Zobaidy biological parameters and standing biomass as we know that these informations are the basis for fisheries management. You have to know the biology of the fish first to be able to conduct effective intervention and to avoid depletion of the stock, and to replenish or rehabilitate the stock. We have finished that stage. Now it is up to the countries to form a cooperative management committee to set up common terms about managing and replenishing the stock.

Q: Which species of fish stock in your assessment is facing the maximum threat now?
A: The Zobaidy stock is highly depleted now. If all northern Arabian Gulf countries don’t manage collectively this stock, the species we will not see any of this fish in the markets and becomes extinct.
We also have the problem of the dwindling number of what we call the ‘Bottom Fish’ or demersal species. These are like Hamoor, Nagroor, Newaiby, Hamrah, Fersh, Bertam, and so on. We are currently conducting a joint project with the GCC countries in the western region of the Arabian Gulf and Sea of Oman. Our research vessel is in Bahrain now completing its survey cruise after surveying waters of Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. The last leg of the survey will take place here in Kuwait. The objective of this study is to assess the current status of the demersal fish resources in the GCC waters. The project will be completed in 2012 and then we will recommend to the countries on how to manage these stocks, and advise on precautionary regulations to conserve the stocks from further depletion and strategies for recovery if needed.
So these are our main challenges. We are working on designing more inter-state joint projects for future in fisheries biology and fisheries management. We are also focusing on capacity building, because this is another area that requires due attention. We are involved in capacity building in terms of expertise, in terms of capabilities on the infrastructure front like laboratories, equipment and also research vessels.
We have always been at the forefront of marine biological research, and in the next four years, yes, we will be the center of excellence in the region. In fact we are recognized as the leader in this field in the Arabian Gulf. We provided our experience to other Gulf countries in terms of aquaculture, fisheries and oceanography much to their benefit.
We have made considerable advance in our understanding of our ecosystem, marine biology, fisheries and oceanography, and how the various components interact with one another. We are in the process of establishing databases in marine biodiversity, oceanography, and fisheries because effective stock management demands a lot of data. We need these data to formulate policies and regulations and management advisories to higher authorities and the government.
We have been doing this in the past, but the world is changing and there are new technologies, new models and new approaches coming up every day. So we have to be working at it constantly to be able to use these advancements to our benefit.

Q: You told us about the human intervention at the macro level, about how dams and other interstate interventions are affecting marine life. How are local activities affecting marine eco system?
A: Let’s talk specifically about fisheries. I don’t want to be critical of any authority but we feel that regulations here are not strong enough to protect fishery stocks from overfishing. On the other hand enforcement is also weak and illegal fishing is sometimes common in certain areas.
For instance small fish are not supposed to land and there are other regulations of that kind. But such regulations are not enforced. Fishermen violate this in the waters from other countries as well, landing small fish from there. These are not good signs.
There is need for education and also need to raise the level of awareness among the people on these issues and the importance of conserving our marine ecosystem for the progeny. However, this does not fall within our sphere of activities. EPA and PAAFR are responsible for disseminating information to the public and creating awareness but we can assist these authorities. There are other industries that need to be sensitized on these issues, because in a way they are contributing to the destruction of the marine life.
I hope in future, things will improve with better regulations and better enforcement of regulations along with due awareness among industries using the marine ecosystem and the general public.

Q: What about pollution affecting marine ecosystem? I heard that certain pollutants affect the sexes affecting their reproductive cycles. Is that true?
A: Pollution does not cause sexes to change, but it does affect the reproductive biology of the fish. Sex change is a natural phenomenon in fishes. For example, Hamoor or Groupers, when they are small they are females. But if they grow beyond a certain size they turn into males. This is due to internal hormonal changes that the fish undergoes during the maturity phase.
If you catch all the large sizes in this species of fish, then the smaller fish, which are the females, will not find partners to fertilize their eggs. The case of Sobaity fish is contrary to this. When they are small they are male and turn into females when they grow larger.
So, sex change is a natural process. But pollution can affect the immunity of the fish to fight diseases. It affects the ability of the fish to cope with stresses from extreme environmental anomalies. It affects also the growth of the fish. The fishes become more susceptible to infections spread in the water and die before completing their life cycle.

Q: When you are talking of pollution, where is it mainly coming from? What is the main cause of worry for us regarding pollution?
A: Pollution is coming from different sources. Oil leakage from the petroleum industry or chemicals from the petrochemical industry into the sea and sewage dumping into the sea are main sources in Kuwait. You must have heard of what happened in the Mishref Station recently.
There is also the problem of disposal of ballast water by the oil tankers in our waters. Ballast water contains microorganisms that are alien to our marine life might lead to infections and other pandemic to our stocks, or contains other organisms leading to Red Tide phenomenon that causes Fish Kill.
The problem of climate change. Change of temperature and other physical parameters of the sea water regimes are changing. All these affect directly or indirectly fish stocks. It can cause some species to survive and some to perish. This will alter the biodiversity that is essential for the balance of the marine ecosystem. The changes can also affect fish nursery areas like areas around the Bubiyan Island or the Kuwait Bay.
All these different factors can impact collectively; short and long term research project could find solutions to counter these changes.

Q: Have any species of fish gone extinct over the last couple of decades because of these changes you just mentioned?
A: Not extinct. But there are species whose numbers have gone really low. There is the Red Snapper, more famously known as Hamrah, and Bertam, which is a kind of Grouper, whose numbers have really dwindled. This is because these are long living fishes and takes about five to seven years for them to attain reproductive age. And most of them are caught before they attain this age prejudicing their chance to breed. Now it’s very difficult to find local Hamrah in Kuwait’s fish market. Last week, I sent my men to the fish market to find Bertam, and they couldn’t find a single one while they found few Hamrah, which were not from Kuwait. But in future, it could become extinct. There are no such fishes that are on the red list, but it can in due course if we don’t do something about it right now.

Q: While dealing with issues involving other states, how do you go about finding solutions for that?
A: We conduct in-depth studies about the issues related to marine ecosystems and then formulate solutions, both for the long term and the short term. Solutions for the long-term are called policies. For the short-term, we provide recommendations. It is then up to the governmental agencies like the EPA and PAAFR to ensure their implementation.

biography

Dr Mohsen Al-Husaini is the Research Scientist, Food Resources Marine Science, Aquaculture Fisheries and Marine Environment, at Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR).
He finished his bachelors degree in Biological Science from Kuwait University in 1978.
Dr Mohsen completed his masters in Fisheries Biology and Management from the University of Wales, Bangor, UK, in 1984. He then went on to finish PhD in Fisheries Biology in 1989 from the same university.
Dr Mohsen has been working with KISR since graduation in 1978, and has decades of experience in his field. He has published many research papers. His first research thesis was on ‘Daily Rings in Fish Otolith.’