Kubbar island's reefs re-growing

KUWAIT, July 10 (KUNA) -- Kuwait Dive Team of The Environmental Voluntary Foundation has confirmed condition of coral reefs skirting Kubbar island is noticeably improving.
Dhari Al-Huwayel, in charge of a project for preserving the reefs, executed in coordination with the Australian Queensland University, told KUNA that there have been "encouraging signs as to the status of the coral reefs at Kubbar island." The foundation diving team is regularly monitoring condition of the offshore Kuwaiti reefs, in coordination with the international Coral Watch program.
The program essentially aims at monitoring condition of the reefs round the year, partly by examining and comparing their color.
However, Al-Huwayel cautioned that despite the registered improvement in the reefs' conditions around Kubbar, the diving team detected presence of a large number of sea stars, which pose a threat to the reefs, in addition to various harmful activities by sea-goers, such as dumping nets and equipment onto the reefs.
Kubbar is located in the Kuwaiti territorial sea waters between the islands, Failaka and Umm Al-Maradem. (end) zik.tb.rk