Environmentally friendly mariculture in coral reef areas, Jordan, gulf of Aqaba and Red Sea

Abstract EN

Marine resources in Jordan are extremely scares with the Gulf of Aqaba being the only sea outlet and the Jordanian coast not exceeding 27 Km.

Typical of the general features of the Gulf of Aqaba, the Jordanian coast is strongly oligotrophio and hosts mainly coral reef habitats.

This in terms of living resources has two main consequences, low biological productivity interpreted by low catch and considerable sensitivity towards establishing aquaculture.

Therefore and under the pressure of the need for fish resources Jordan has to consider efficient and innovative techniques to introduce aquaculture in the coral reef environment in such a way that secures sustainability for both the ecosystem and the introduced investment and proves viability from the econoinio perspective.

This automatically leads to the concentration on high value low environmental burden aquacullurc, producing coral reef speoies.

Table fish on the other hand cannot be ignored, but it oan be considered only in systems efficient enough to survive die environmental and economic challenge.

Inland polyculturc is suggested herein as a main alternative.

Aquaculture production of coral reef speoies in the Red sea area still needs significant research before it will become a routine practice, but early results of the experiments with the giant clam in Jordan show that such type of aquaculture can be economically rewarding and harmlessly introduced in the coral reef ecosystem.

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