DAMMAM, 22 April 2003 — The discovery of tons of dead fish along the Arabian Gulf Coast has caused concern among the authorities, who fear that the fish may have perished due to the discharge of chemicals or ordnance from warships in the Arabian Gulf in the wake of the war in Iraq.
According to the Fish Resources Studies Center in Qatif, tons of dead fish were washed ashore on Thursday in Dammam, Tarout and Qatif. There was no official statement on the cause of death, but some experts fear that the fish might have died due to pollution in the sea caused by discharge from warships.
Another theory blames general pollution in this part of the Arabian Gulf from Dammam to Tarout and Qatif.
Previously, an oil spill was detected along the coast in Bahrain and the Presidency of Meteorological Environment Protection joined forces with other agencies to clean the seashore.
The Chairman of the Presidency, Prince Turki ibn Nasser, expressed concern during the war in Iraq over the effect it could have on marine life in the Arabian Gulf.
The Gulf War of 1991 caused havoc to the marine life in the Gulf and hundreds of tons of fish perished due to oil spills and pollution caused by the war.
Marine scientists, however, say that to ascribe the death of the fish to any one cause would be premature. Some of the fish have been sent to three laboratories in the Eastern Province to find out the exact nature of the problem.
The lab reports are expected in two to three days’ time, and officials will decide on a line of action then.
The fish markets in Qatif and Khafji are nervous over the incident and fear that the price of fish may increase further if more dead fish wash ashore.
“It’s a dangerous signal and will ruin the trade if the catch is reduced due to pollution,” said Ali Al-Marzookh, a wholesale fish trader in Qatif. “The market took a long time to recover from the catastrophe of 1991 war, and if it happens again then many small and medium traders will be ruined,” he added.
