The marine environment of Oman poses a significant threat to the seawater of the country and its environment due to the introduction of foreign marine species into Oman through shipping. Consequently, the Environmental Authority, along with the Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment, has convened a two-day symposium in Muscat to conduct an in-depth assessment of the threat posed to Oman by marine non-indigenous (foreign) species and to establish methods to control this issue at the regional level (i.e., Garboushian and Zhang, 2020).
“Risk identification of harmful, unknown-origin, and newly recorded marine species in the ROPME Sea Area” was the primary objective of the scientific and governmental representatives from Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, to come up with solutions that can be employed to mitigate the threat from invasive marine species in the ROPME Sea Area. The ROPME Marine Area has a high level of commercial shipping activity; therefore, the probability of invasive marine species entering the waters of the ROPME Sea through routes by which commercial vessels will enter the waters of the ROPME Sea is very high.
The organizers presented an alarming regional assessment, identifying a significant 21 priority species as presenting an extremely high level of threat to the ecosystems, fisheries, and coastal economies throughout the region. This information represents a clear signal for countries that are very dependent upon marine fisheries resources to begin preparing for continued and future impacts of marine invasive species. The workshop sessions brought together scientific experts with a diverse array of stakeholders: developing a common set of monitoring protocols for marine invasive species; presenting case studies from each ROPME member state on how to best manage marine invasive species; and establishing a standardized regional action plan (RAP) to more effectively identify, assess, and respond to how quickly and effectively states can identify and respond to new organism occurrences.
During presentations, the experts at this workshop focused on the primary routes of introduction for marine invasive species: ballast water that is taken on in one port and discharged in another and biofouling of vessels and other marine structures with barnacles, algae, and small invertebrates. Both pathways are globally recognized methods of introducing non-indigenous species into marine ecosystems, and while international regulatory bodies now require ships to appropriately treat and manage ballast water, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has also developed regulations on how to prevent and manage biofouling; however, the implementation of these regulations is inconsistent.
Preventing invasive species from adversely affecting seabed ecosystems is extremely important because it costs many times less money to prevent them from arriving than to manage populations that have already established themselves in an area. In the ROPME Sea, local governments are creating an integrated monitoring system to help monitor for and respond to the threat of invading species in a timely manner. Phase Two of the ROPME regional project to mitigate the impact of invasive species on fisheries and economies will begin to implement a regional collaborative approach to address biosecurity concerns arising from invasive species entering coastal waters.
At the Muscat workshop, ROSIE presented the value of promoting collaboration on biosecurity issues between the ROPME member countries that share a common sea. Using a coordinated approach to biosecurity, including enhanced monitoring efforts, increasing the number of port inspections and hull cleanings, and sharing information across borders, will improve the ability of fisheries and coastal areas in the ROPME region to withstand future invasions of non-native species.
