The Qatif Fishery Research Center is conducting investigation and laboratory tests to determine the cause or causes why tons of dead fish have been found floating along the shores of the Arabian Sea along the coasts of Qatif and Tarot Island. There have been conflicting reports of the cause of the fish death. “Although the center can figure out that some species, particularly the small fish, are dying because of intense heat and change of climate, a thorough investigation has been launched to find out exactly the cause or causes,” a spokesman at the center said. “In the past, whenever heat and summer season have come around, we did not see such massive deaths of marine life as we are seeing now,” said. Ali Hussein, a fisherman from Qatif. Faisal M. Al-Zawad, Head of Forecasting at the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment, Ministry of Defense and Aviation, said it could be the sudden rise in temperature that caused the death. “Marine authorities will investigate the case and will surely come out with results whether pollution has something to do with the death of fish,” he said. Fishing has remained a major source of income of the people of Qatif, Tarot Island, and Sihat. The pollution due to oil drilling activities, presence of factories near the Arabian coasts that discharge untreated water into the sea and the oil spills from tankers and fishing boats are the main reasons for deterioration of marine life in the Arabian Sea, according to fishermen. The seven-member Regional Organization for Protection of Marine Environment (ROPME) has programs to protect the marine environment. __
