150 artificial caves placed off Ajman waters to encourage fish breeding

About 150 artificial caves were placed to protect natural fisheries and provide marine species with a space place for breeding.

Artificial caves are placed in waters off Ajman to encourage fish breeding. Courtesy Ministry of Climate Change & Environment

AJMAN // Artificial caves have been placed in the waters off Ajman as part of a project to provide fish with a safe place to breed.

For the first phase of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment project, 150 caves were placed. Another 150 will be placed off the coast of Umm Al Quwain, and 600 off Ras Al Khaimah, according to Wam, the state news agency.

Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “These artificial coves are environmentally friendly and are designed to be a haven for fish. It will provide a proper place for the breeding of the millions of fingerlings produced by the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Marine Research Centre.”

“Through this initiative, the ministry will help increase the natural fish stock, and bring the fishing areas closer to the fisher men. This will help lighten the financial burden of the fishermen, who face the challenging task of having to travel long distances.”

Dr Al Zeyoudi also met fishermen from Ajman and praised their efforts to improve the country’s food security.

About 33,000 fingerlings were released by the ministry in RAK's waters on Tuesday. A total of 210,000 young fish have been released so far this year, reported Al Ittihad, the Arabic-language sister paper of The National.