‘More efforts needed for sea environment’

Coral reef protection sought

KUWAIT CITY, April 13, (KUNA): Greater attention and care must be devoted for safeguarding the Gulf marine environment and living creatures namely the coral reefs, according to recommendations issued by a recently-held meeting of diving teams from GCC countries.

The three-day meeting underlined necessity of dedicating greater care for the marine life and its creatures as well as protecting the corals, said Waleed Al-Fadhel, the Head of the Kuwaiti Diving Team of the Environmental Voluntary Group (Almabara), in a statement to KUNA on Saturday.

Gulf Forum for Environmental Diving Team also called for more regulations and planning for establishment and work of diving groups, encouraging private initiatives, protecting and rehabilitating the sea environment, said Al-Fadhel, shedding further light on the advises by the leading figures in the field, made at the end of the gathering.

The conferees also urged for enhancing online expertise exchange and greater effort for establishment of more natural reserves in the states of the Arab Gulf, Al-Fadhel added.

Participants, during the meeting, displayed their activities, such as retrieval of sunken vessels from the sea bed, plans and activities related to man-grown reefs, planting buoys and lifting other items that pose danger to the environment such as entangled fishing nets.