Coral nursery and transplantation of the staghorn coral, Acropora downingi in Sabah Al-Ahmad Sea City, Kuwait, Arabian Gulf

Abstract

The present work describes the first attempt at cultivating corals in the northern Arabian Gulf where seawater temperature ranges from 13 to 33°C and salinity exceeds 40 psu, exceeding normal lethal limits for coral survival. Despite the environmental extremes, natural recruitment of corals occurred in Sabah Al-Ahmad Sea City water ways during 2009, this encouraged an attempt to create an in situ coral nursery and establish a coral garden. A mid-water suspended coral PVC nursery (3 m²) was installed at 3.5 m depth for rearing staghorn coral, Acropora downingi for transplantation into artificial lagoons in Sabah Al-Ahmad Sea City. Fragments of Acropora downingi colonies damaged by boat anchoring were collected (n = 240) from patch reefs at Min Al Zour and Qit At Binaya, Kuwait. Coral nubbins obtained from fragments were glued individually to discs made of powdered Electric Arc Furnace Slag (EAF Slag) and marine grade cement. Nubbins showed up to 56% survival and a mean skeletal extension of 10.6–13.4 mm (SD ± 0.8) in 10 months. The nursery served as an artificial reef ecosystem. Transplantation of 116 Acropora downingi colonies was carried out (in June 2014 and June 2015) and monitored colonies (n = 6) attained an average geometric mean diameter (GMD) of 73.6 mm (SD ± 2.91) in one year. The first batch of A. downingi transplants (June 2014) showed a survival rate of 43% but the second batch (June 2015) showed 89.5% survival. Temperature induced mortality, detachment rate reduced after using marine grade cement and additive mixture instead of epoxy.

Keywords:

• coral nursery
• coral transplantation
• Acropora downingi
• Kuwait
• reef restoration

PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT

Coral reefs in the Arabian/Persian gulf are very unique as they thrive in extreme environmental conditions (low–high temperature and high salinity). Pollution, coastal development, recreational activities, etc. threaten the existence of reefs, which can impact fisheries. In this study, for the first time in northern Arabian Gulf, we conducted a “coral nursery” and transplantation experiment for staghorn coral (Acropora downingi) in the largest coastal township (>70 Km² area) project in Kuwait known as “Sabah Al-Ahmad Sea City”. Coral colonies damaged by boat anchoring were collected from nearby reefs and glued to discs made of steel slag and cement, reared in the nursery for a year and transplanted onto a rock island. Transplanted staghorn corals successfully grew in spite of extreme temperature and salinity in Kuwait waters. The results of this experiment will serve as a baseline to design future reef restoration efforts in the region.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Mr. Fawaz Al Marzouq, Chairman of La Ala Al Kuwait Real Estate Co. K.S.C. for permission to publish the data and facilities provided, M/s. Ian Williams, Project Director, Sabah Al Ahmad Sea City for his constant support and encouragement, Chris Rose for his useful suggestions, Drs. David Jones, Spain, Baruch Rinkevich Israel Oceanographic Institute, Israel, Jerald Wilson, King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, R.P. Kumarran, Marine Mammal Consultant, India and N. Marimuthu, Zoological Survey of India for their valuable advice in the various stages of this study. We thoughtfully acknowledge Dr. Shaker Al-Hazeem, Kuwait Institute for Scientifc Research for his valuable comments on the manuscript. We also extend our thanks to Dr. Saif Udin, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research for the preparation of map, M/s. Bapu Rao Sontakke, Hassan Ali Hassan and Jag Jeevan Singh for their support during fieldwork.

Cover image

Source: Photo by Dinesh Kumar Raja.

Additional information

Funding

The authors received no direct funding for this research.

Notes on contributors

Manickam Nithyanandan

M. Nithyanandan, a marine ecologist with master’s degree in Oceanography from Alagappa University, India. Interested in various aspects of marine ecology, marine biodiversity and habitat restoration in Arabian gulf. Currently working in Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research under the Ecosystem based management of marine sciences program. Recent research interest is to study the benthic ecology of Kuwait Bay and has published several articles in international peer reviewed journals.

Lewis Le Vay

Professor Lewis Le Vay, Director, Centre for Applied Marine Sciences in Bangor University, UK. An expert in marine biology and aquaculture.

Dinesh Kumar Raja

Dinesh Kumar Raja, a marine biologist and PADI divemaster experienced in studying marine ecology of Andaman islands and Kuwait, Arabian Gulf.

Ratheesh Kesavan

Ratheesh Kesavan, a marine biologist studying marine ecology of Kuwait, Arabian Gulf.

Don Pereira

Don Pereira, a Research Diver and PADI dive master with a good experience in coral and seagrass restoration techniques in Arabian Gulf.