Head of the Department of Environmental Studies at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) Abdul Latif Niamatullah told Arab News about the encroachment of foreign fishing trawlers to Saudi waters to hunt down marine creatures such as sea cucumber. These creatures are listed as rare species and their hunting is banned.

A faculty member of the College of Marine Sciences at KAU, Muhammad Modarres, demanded beefed-up surveillance in the regional waters. "There are a number of international regulations and charters to protect aquatic creatures such as sea cucumber and sea butterfly as well as flapping snails, coral reefs and seashells that are on the face of extinction," Modarres said. 

He added that their disappearance would upset the marine ecology. "But pharmaceutical conglomerates are tempting poachers to hunt the rare creatures of species offering high prices," the environmental scientist said.

He pointed out that some cosmetic companies offer at least $40 for a kilogram of sea butterflies.

"If hunting along our coasts as well as some harmful tourist activities are not banned for good, irreparable damage will be done to the marine fauna, which will in turn imbalance the environment," he said.

The Coast Guards usually stop any fishing trawlers trespassing on Saudi waters. 

In October, Saudi border guards detained two fishing tourist groups carrying 566 sea cucumbers at fishing harbors on the Tabuk coast, spokesman of the Tabuk border guards said.

The guards found 266 sea cucumbers with the group arrested at Dala close to Duba port, while another group was found at a close by beach carrying 300 banned fish, he said. "Fishing boats from neighboring countries sometimes trespass on our waters to fish banned marine creatures. Border guards capture them and hand them over to the legal authorities for action," the spokesman said.