MARINE ATLASW e s t e r n A r a b i a n G u l f

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A Saudi Aramco Environmental Protection Publication

Chief Editors

Ronald A. Loughland and Khaled A. Al-Abdulkader

Environmental Protection Department, Saudi Aramco

Produced in Partnership with

Th e Center for Environment & WaterResearch Institute - KFUPM, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

Media Editor

Bojana Markotic

Terrestrial Photographers

Boris Krstinic and Damjan Krstinic

Underwater Photographers

Marino Brzac, Miro Andric, Darko Poropat and Bruno Kuzmanic

Contributing Artist

Kym M. Wissemann

Atlas Map Sheet Production

Bruce Burwell, Alex Wyllie and Abdullah Mah

Photography Postproduction

Boris Krstinic, Fabio Ferrandini and Zeno Ferrandini

Design and Layout

Milo Candelaria, Perfecto Corañez and Andrea Gaiardoni

Publishing Coordination and Quality Control

Bruno Nicolis

Separation and Color Control

Typongraph Digital Systems s.r.l - Verona, Italy

Printing

Grafi che SiZ s.p.a - Verona, Italy

©2011 Saudi Aramco©2012 Saudi Aramco, 2nd edition

All right reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmit-ted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except

brief extracts for the purpose of review, without the prior permission in writing of Saudi Aramco.

ISBN: 978-0-9776600-8-7

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MARINE ATLASW e s t e r n A r a b i a n G u l f

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

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PrefaceKhalid A. Al-FalihPresident and CEO, Saudi Aramco

More than 30 years ago, Saudi Aramco first brought the Gulf’s marine environment to international attention when it produced The Biotopes of the Western Arabian Gulf, one of

the Gulf’s first books on marine resources. However, that landmark 1977 publication is but one instance of our Company’s efforts to protect and support the Gulf’s waters and coastline.

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More recently, Saudi Aramco celebrated 75 years of operations in the Kingdom, with one of our main corporate social responsibility and scientific achievements over this time being our work to document, research and support marine environmental studies. These studies began in the 1960s with international teams of marine scientists, whose findings formed the basis of the company’s marine environmental studies and monitoring programs.

From this foundation we have built a series of long-term, multidisciplinary global and domestic partnerships, such as the Marine Sustaining Project in the Arabian Gulf with our research partner, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), in progress now for more than three decades. Combined, all these studies have resulted in detailed, long-term data that Saudi Aramco now uses to assess its ecological footprint on the marine environment. This continuous data collection and its interpretation are the basis for the Marine Atlas of the Western Arabian Gulf.

This Atlas also provides a means of promoting environmental education and raising environmental awareness among the Company, other government and non government entities, and the general public. The Atlas illustrates the beauty and biodiversity of the Gulf’s marine ecosystems, and reinforces their sensitivities and vulnerabilities. This Atlas is also a valuable management tool that helps us to work towards sustainable development by identifying natural resources within the Gulf and along its coast that are important to the Kingdom, a focus which helps balance both the needs of development and conservation.

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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is known for nurturing unique and highly diverse habitats. Th e rich waters of the Western Arabian Gulf are considered among the most diverse ecosystem in the region and have

been fundamental in sustaining the people of the region for thousands of years. Th rough trade, the Gulf has brought our culture into contact with civilizations from around the globe. Today the same waters provide the Kingdom with a new wealth in the form of oil and gas, and are still important trade venues to export this much needed energy to the world.

Population growth and signifi cant urban and industrial development along the Gulf coastline has placed additional pressure on the Gulf’s precious yet fragile marine habitats and could alter the delicate balance achieved by its ecosystems. Th ese realities place further responsibilities on the inhabitants of the Gulf to exert more eff ort to protect and preserve marine habitats for future generations.

In order to gain a better understanding of the marine ecosystems, Saudi Aramco have been conducting research and monitoring studies to document the State of the Arabian Gulf’s Marine Environment for over 30 years. Knowledge gained has been used to enhance and to safeguard the Gulf’s environment and marine life. Th is Marine Atlas is a compilation of knowledge from many marine studies and is an important baseline which documents the location and quality of our marine resources in an attempt to preserve them in a changing environment.

Lessons learned from other countries experience indicates that it is diffi cult for over exploited marine resources to recover if the realization of their plight or remedial actions comes too late. Th e Marine Atlas provides a timely opportunity to gain better knowledge and appreciation of the Arabian Gulf’s marine environment and to enhance and safeguard these valuable resources in support of the Kingdom’s vision of environmental sustainability.

ForewordEnvironmental Protection DepartmentSaudi Aramco

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Th is Marine Atlas provides a window into the marine and coastal environment of the Gulf not only for the citizens of the Kingdom, but for all people of the Region, and indeed the World. We acknowledge the eff orts of the various Government Ministries, Educational Institutions, and local and international scientists and technical experts who all worked together to produce this valuable publication and showcase the Kingdom’s sustained environmental protection eff orts.

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242Marine Mammals

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186Fisheries

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264Marine and Coastal Reptiles

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296Marine and Coastal Birds

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158Th e Coastal and Off shore Island Ecosystems

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116Subtidal Habitats

78Mangroves and Salt Marshes

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42Human Use of the Coastal and Marine Resources

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20Overview of Gulf Marine Habitats

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10Introduction

338Conservation of Natural Coastal and Marine Resources

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368Bibliography

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Contents