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Macrobenthic communities in shallow mangrove-seagrass habitat at the southern portion of Saudi Arabia, Red Sea were explored to (i) characterize their diversity and abundance; (ii) examine the variability among outer, middle and inner stations; and (iii) evaluate the catch performance of scoop (bulldozer) and Van Veen grab. Fifteen sampling collections (9 scoop and 6 grab) captured 4,491 individuals encompassing 18 taxonomic groups. Polychaetes predominated the samples, followed by pelecypods, gammarids, gastropods, and isopods. The species richness did not differ among stations. The density of macrobenthos was significantly (ANOVA, F = 5.51, p = 0.020) higher in the outer and middle stations than the inner station. Moreover, the difference of macrobenthos abundance was seemingly associated with the sediment type and the presence and absence of seagrass. The proportion of non-shared groups over the total number of groups increases from the outer to the inner stations (30.7 to 57.1%), which revealed a degree of difference in the community. The exclusive presence of stomatopods in the inner station suggests their territorial behavior. As well, Van Veen grab captured higher taxonomic groups than scoop; the difference in abundance was not significant. Grab was more pragmatic with ease to operate and thus higher catch efficiency.

This study, which included examination of the distribution and life history and a stock assessment of the flathead lobster (Thenus orientalis), is the first of its kind in the waters of Saudi Arabia in the Arabian Gulf, also known as the Persian Gulf. The flathead lobster is widely distributed in this region, although it is more abundant in the central and northern Arabian Gulf. Carapace lengths at 50% and 95% maturity are 59 and 65 mm for females and 58 and 71 mm for males. The fecundity of 4 berried females ranged from 26,000 to 76,000 eggs per spawning, and the fertilization rate exceeded 97%. Length-frequency data were consistent with just 2 cohorts, indicating that this species has a short life span and high growth coefficient (K=0.846 year(-1)). Large fishing boats (called dhows) accounted for more than 98% of the total landings. Estimates of natural mortality rates from use of generalized depletion models have high statistical precision and a magnitude compatible with short life history. In addition, abundance levels estimated with the depletion model are sufficient to support a sustainable small-scale fishery either as bycatch of shrimp trawlers or as a resource targeted with specialized gear. A targeted fishery for flathead lobster could be set during the off months of the shrimp trawl fishery (February-July), reducing interference with the reproduction cycle. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Despite the important role of marine mammals in marine ecosystems and the imperative for their conservation, there is still a great lack of information on the diversity, distribution, and density of these animals in the Saudi waters of the Arabian Gulf. To fill this gap, an integrative data-collection approach including fishermen’s questionnaires, opportunistic sighting reports, and directed boat-based surveys, was undertaken between 2016 and 2020, leading to the first scientific report of marine mammal diversity, distribution, and density in the region. The results of the different approaches carried out during the study confirmed a high diversity of cetaceans on the west coast of the study area, with bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus), humpback dolphins (Sousa plumbea) and dugongs (Dugong dugon) as the most common species. While the two dolphin species were found to be widely distributed in both coastal and offshore waters, D. dugon appears to occur exclusively in coastal waters in the southern part of the study area, mainly in the Gulf of Salwah. The presence of both species of dolphins increased during the summer months and in the vicinity of the numerous oil and gas facilities in this region. The distribution of the observed dolphins was found mostly within a 10–20 km radius around each facility. Other cetacean species observed less frequently in the area include Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni), killer whale (Orcinus orca), common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) and finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides). Regarding the density of marine mammals in the region, boat-based surveys confirmed the results of fishermen’s questionnaires and reports of opportunistic sightings, with bottlenose and humpback dolphins being the most abundant species. These results provide a baseline for policies oriented to the conservation of mammals in the Saudi waters of the Arabian Gulf.

The Manifa oilfield development involved the construction of a causeway to support 25 offshore drill site islands across the Manifa-Tanajib Bay System. As part of the environmental impact assessment of this project, a post-construction monitoring was performed between 2013 and 2015 to evaluate the artificial structure’s effects on local marine communities. Benthic communities (fouling and sediment-dwelling organisms) were sampled two to three times per year at 10 to 16 stations along the causeway and islands. Seventeen epifaunal taxa were recorded from the fouling samples with mollusks (33%) and crustaceans (30%) dominating the community while 99 species were recorded from the sediment samples with polychaetes (69%) as the dominant taxon. As the causeway represents a no-entry area due to oil industry activities, the number of species utilizing it as a habitat will probably develop without significant disturbance in the coming years, highlighting its role as an artificial reef-like structure in the Saudi Arabian waters.

Mobile fishing gears are responsible of various direct effects on benthic communities. The most important (in volume and value) fishery in Saudi waters of the Arabian Gulf is the 6-month trawl season for the green tiger shrimp. The fleet is composed of hundreds of artisanal boats carrying out short-duration tows of small trawls. To study the impact of this trawl season on local benthic communities, two different methodologies were adopted in three areas of different trawling intensities. The first study design was aimed at the seasonal effect and the second design examined the immediate impact after the pass of a trawl. Both studies were evaluated using univariate ecological indicators (richness, diversity, AMBI, M-AMBI) and the multivariate species composition. The seasonal study revealed a cyclic dynamics of the benthic assemblages. Most of the univariate ecological descriptors decreased during the trawling season and increased during the off-season while species composition undertook a round trip in multivariate space, thus supporting the conclusion that the impact of trawling on the benthic ecosystem during the shrimp season is reverted during the trawl ban. Although our results confirm predictions of synthetic statistical models, they also show that the impact of trawling on benthic communities strongly depend on the existence of a trawl ban period.

For millennia, coastal and marine ecosystems have adapted and flourished in the Red Sea’s unique environment. Surrounded by deserts on all sides, the Red Sea is subjected to high dust inputs and receives very little freshwater input, and so harbors a high salinity. Coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and mangroves flourish in this environment and provide socio-economic and environmental benefits to the bordering coastlines and countries. Interestingly, while coral reef ecosystems are currently experiencing rapid decline on a global scale, those in the Red Sea appear to be in relatively better shape. That said, they are certainly not immune to the stressors that cause degradation, such as increasing ocean temperature, acidification and pollution. In many regions, ecosystems are already severely deteriorating and are further threatened by increasing population pressure and large coastal development projects. Degradation of these marine habitats will lead to environmental costs, as well as significant economic losses. Therefore, it will result in a missed opportunity for the bordering countries to develop a sustainable blue economy and integrate innovative nature-based solutions. Recognizing that securing the Red Sea ecosystems’ future must occur in synergy with continued social and economic growth, we developed an action plan for the conservation, restoration, and growth of marine environments of the Red Sea. We then investigated the level of resources for financial and economic investment that may incentivize these activities. This study presents a set of commercially viable financial investment strategies, ecological innovations, and sustainable development opportunities, which can, if implemented strategically, help ensure long-term economic benefits while promoting environmental conservation. We make a case for investing in blue natural capital and propose a strategic development model that relies on maintaining the health of natural ecosystems to safeguard the Red Sea’s sustainable development.

The blue swimming crab, Portunus segnis (Forskal, 1775), formerly known as P. pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) has become a major fishery resource in the Gulf. Yet, there are no regional studies on the stock population dynamics and life history processes of this species. Considering the extreme oceanographic features of the Gulf (high salinity and high temperature variations), which is hypothesized to cause fast growth of P. segnis, a study was conducted to determine the abundance/biomass distribution of its stocks, growth rates, and sexual maturation in the territorial Saudi waters in the Arabian Gulf. The study was based on trawling surveys, landing sites monitoring, and records of fisheries catch and efforts and juvenile habitat surveys. The spatial distribution patterns supported by generalized linear model indicated the occurrence of P. segnis in the nearshore shallow waters, and its absence from the offshore deeper waters, attributed to the variability of environmental conditions including salinity, temperature, and trophic resources. Manifa, one of the productive areas in the northern Saudi waters of the Gulf, had high abundance of the crab. In agreement with the hypothesis, the growth rate of the Saudi P. segnis was found to be the higher (2.12 K year(-1)) compared to other parts of the Gulf (1.1-1.7 K year(-1)) or other sea areas of tropical regions (0.95-1.68 K year(-1)). The study shows that P. segnis can spawn throughout the year, with at least three peaks: winter, late spring-early summer, and autumn. The L-50% record obtained in this study with females (127 mm) and males (125 mm) are larger than those reported with the same species from other parts of the Gulf (113 mm) or with other congeneric blue species crabs reported from other tropical regions (61-113 mm). The present study provided basic data to develop a management strategy for the fishery of P. segnis in the region. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The Gulf of Aqaba (hereafter ‘the Gulf’) is a narrow, semi-enclosed, warm, high saline, and oligotrophic water body. This baseline study provides the first quantitative data on deep-sea (207–1281 m depth) benthos of the Gulf. Fifty-five benthic species (predominantly polychaetes) with a density of 160–670 ind. m−2, species richness of 11–25, and Shannon-Wiener diversity (H′) of 3.14–4.17 bits. ind.−1 were recorded from nine stations. The density and H′ of benthos of the Gulf are comparable with those of the Red Sea, while both are lower than those reported from the Arabian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The good-high ecological status of benthic communities indicates the absence of major stress in the deep-sea habitats of the Gulf. As large-scale urbanization is proposed in the Saudi coastal areas of the Gulf, this study is expected to provide a baseline dataset for future environmental impact assessments.

This paper reports a deep-water coral framework (a single colonial bush or a larger bioconstruction of coral covering the sea bottom), formed entirely by the scleractinian coral Eguchipsammia fistula (Alcock, 1902) (Dendrophylliidae), in the northern Red Sea waters of Saudi Arabia at a depth of about 640 m. The framework consists of mostly live corals with a total area of about 10 m2 and the length of the individual coral branches range from 12 to 30 cm. Although E. fistula is ubiquitous, this discovery is the second record of a framework formed by this species and the first discovery of a large living reef in the Red Sea. The results of the genetic study indicate the potential existence of a genetic variation of E. fistula in the Red Sea. This discovery implies that the Red Sea has favorable habitats for framework-forming DWC species and highlights the need for conducting more systematic surveys for understanding their distribution, abundance, and ecology.

This dataset supports the paper entitled “A baseline investigation of benthic foraminifera in relation to marine sediments parameters in western parts of the Arabian Gulf”. Duplicate sediment samples (sets A and B) were collected from 30 stations in an area covering approximately 25000 km2 in the offshore northern Arabian Gulf, using a van Veen grab (0.1 m2 area) and the top 1 cm was analysed for living benthic foraminifera. A set of samples was devoted to foraminiferal analysis while the other, set B, for sediment analyses. In situ hydrographical parameters such as temperature, salinity, pH, turbidity and DO were measured at surface waters. The top 1 cm was subsampled for foraminiferal analyses from the grab and preserved using 70% ethanol with Rose-Bengal stain. Potentially Toxic Elements (PTE) levels in sediment and grain size distributions were analysed. The dataset is expected to provide a baseline for PTE levels in sediment, benthic foraminiferal communities, and identify endemic species adapted to extremes of temperature and saline conditions typical of the Gulf. It can also be used by environmental managers, micropaleotologists, students in environmental/geology/marine science as reference background conditions based on sediment toxicity and benthic community information in revising environmental guidelines in the region. Data from this study suggest that PTEs are within the range of background values, and the sediments support highly diversified and stable benthic foraminiferal communities adapted to the unique environmental conditions in the Gulf. To date, this dataset documents the highest number of living benthic foraminifera species reported from the Gulf, and the most diverse living community compared to all previous studies. It also provides evidence for the full recovery of areas impacted during the 1991 Gulf oil spill which is evident by the diverse and flourishing assemblages of living benthic foraminifera documented.

Even though the Red Sea is characterized by unique oceanographic conditions, only few studies have addressed the ecology of its deep-sea benthos. This work discusses some traits of the Saudi deep waters of the Red Sea between 23°N and 28°N. Macrobenthic samples were collected using a box corer (0.1 m2 surface area) from 59 stations at depths ranging between 220 m and 1678 m. The stations were categorized into four depth zones (≤500 m, 501–750 m, 751–1000 m and >1000 m) and two latitudinal areas (northern and central) for data analysis. A total of 186 species have been identified including polychaetes (135), crustaceans (27), molluscs (18), echinoderms (3), echiuroid (1), sipunculoid (1), and oligochaete (1). While 114 species were present in only 1–3 stations, only 30 species were found to be widely distributed, being recorded in all depth zones from northern and central areas. The trophic structure analysis indicated high functional diversity with the presence of seven feeding levels represented mainly by surface deposit feeders, facultative detritivores, and benthic carnivores. In general, the density and biomass of the deep sea macrobenthic community studied herein are lower than those reported in other seas with similar depth zones. This is most likely due to the particular environmental factors of the Red Sea, represented mainly by its oligotrophic nature, high temperature, high salinity, and low food availability in the form of organic matter. It is worth noting that some ecological parameters considered showed a general decreasing pattern (density: 10–1666 ind. m−2; biomass: 0.02 – 10.98 g m−2; species richness S: 1–59; Shannon-Wiener diversity index H': 0 – 5.1) in relation with the increasing depth in northern and central areas. The bathymetric trends of the macrobenthic communities were also demonstrated with findings of multivariate analyses. The distribution of benthic communities at all depth zones appeared to be controlled by the availability of organic matter and abiotic factors such as temperature and salinity. Pronounced latitudinal and longitudinal trends in the macrobenthic communities are not evident, most likely due to the limited latitudinal and longitudinal variation of the sampling stations of this study. No spatial variations were found with the feeding types, species evenness index, and species dominance index. Considering the scarcity of published data on the deep benthic community from the Red Sea, this study provides some useful baseline information on this topic and contributes to decrease the knowledge gap on the diversity of macrobenthic communities in this region.

The Saudi Arabian Gulf coast is witnessing many industrial, recreational and other developmental activities. Impact of these activities on the intertidal macrofaunal communities of this region has not been documented well. Thirty four stations falling under four zones along this coast were sampled to study the benthic macrofaunal community. A total of 81 taxa were recorded and the species richness varied between the zones. Among the 48 polychaetespecies found, Exogone heterosetosa, Dialychone collaris, Ophelina longicaudata, Paraprionospio pinnata, Perinereis falsovariegata and Scololepis squamata were dominant. Species such as Littoraria scabra, Bullia vittata, Incatella cingulata, Meretrix meretrix, Donax sp. and Maoricardium setosum were dominant among the twelve gastropod species. The thirteen species of macrofauna identified to occur in all the zones comprised eight species of gastropods besides two species each of amphipods and isopods and one species of cumacean. ANOSIM showed significant differences in assemblage overall among the four zones and in pairwise comparison. Distance based linear modeling (DISTLM) showed the environmental parameters to explain 55.67% of the variability in macrofauna with variables such as pH, salinity, temperature, pebble and gravel showing significant relationship with macrofauna and explained higher variability. The alpha diversity values were comparatively lower in zone 3 which had high anthropogenic pressure. Shannon–Wiener​ diversity, Margalef richness and more importantly the M-AMBI showed the healthy nature of the study area. The findings of the present study are helpful in tracing the future changes in the intertidal habitat due to anthropogenic activities in this fast developing geographical area.

Despite the unique characteristics of the Red Sea (high temperature, high salinity, and oligotrophic conditions), only a few benthic studies have been conducted in its deep-sea environments. Hence, a study on macrobenthos was undertaken in deep-sea locations of the Red Sea within the Saudi Arabian waters. Sediment samples were collected using a box corer from 63 stations located between about 23°N and 28°N, during a cruise on R. V. Aegaeo in November 2012. The depth of the stations ranged from 96 to 1,678 m, with 85% of the stations having a depth ≥500 m. Hydrographical parameters were measured, and sediment characteristics were determined. A total of 199 taxa, including 147 polychaetes, 27 crustaceans, 19 molluscs and 6 other taxa were recorded. Density (10–2,712 ind. m−2), biomass (0.02–10.98 gm−2), species richness (1–59 taxa), and Shannon-Wiener diversity, H′ (0–5.1) were estimated. Biotic variables decreased with depth, while latitudinal variations were absent. The spatial patterns in macrobenthic variables closely match those of the organic matter, indicating the importance of food availability for the sustenance of the macrobenthic communities in the deep-sea environments of the Red Sea. Other parameters such as temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen were also found to influence the macrobenthos.

We thank the Center for Environment and Water (CEW) at the Research Institute of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, for providing research facilities and the Marine Studies Section team of CEW for performing the fieldwork and laboratory analyses. We express our sincere thanks to the General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection, Saudi Arabia and Saudi Company for Environmental Works Ltd. for their constant support. We also thank M/S Al- Gosaibi for providing services of their Oceanographic Vessel.

Cochin estuary, one of the largest tropical estuaries of India, supports high levels of human pressure throughout the year and natural stress during monsoon season. Six stations were monitored between 2002 and 2004 covering the pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon seasons. Ecological status of macrobenthos was assessed using the AZTI's Marine Biotic Index (AMBI) and the multivariate-AMBI (M-AMBI). The overall ‘moderate’ disturbance classification (according to AMBI) and ‘moderate-poor’ ecological status (according to M-AMBI) indicate that the macrobenthos in the estuary experiences stress. There was a gradient of increasing quality from the most degraded northern site to the main estuary, downstream. Monsoon caused further reductions in quality of macrobenthos in the main estuary, while the degraded northern station showed improvement in 2003, when the monsoon was strong. The assessment of the Cochin Estuary using AMBI and M-AMBI indicates where this water body stands in comparison to European and other water bodies, which may be useful for developing required protective measures in tropical systems and to design monitoring strategies.

This baseline paper discusses the distribution and abundance of living benthic foraminifera in relation to Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) such as As, Al, Fe Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, V, Ni, Hg, Pb, and Zn in marine sediments collected from 30 stations in the offshore Arabian Gulf to define baseline environmental conditions for the implementation of future biomonitoring programs. A total of 271 living benthic foraminiferal species were identified belonging to 66 genera, 37 families and 6 orders. Data from this work suggest that PTEs are within the range of background values, and the sediments support highly diversified and stable benthic foraminiferal communities adapted to the unique environmental conditions in the Gulf. Thus, the effect of anthropogenic activities is deemed negligible. This study is expected to provide a baseline dataset for PTE levels in sediment, benthic foraminiferal communities, and identify endemic species adapted to extremes of temperature and saline conditions typical of the Gulf.

This paper is the first contribution to the knowledge of pteropods in surficial sediments of the entire western continental shelf of India. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses of pteropod assemblages were carried out on 50 coarse fractions (>125 μm) of topmost portions of grab samples recovered along 12 transects covering the inner shelf to the upper slope (30–200 m water depths). The distribution of eight significant species was mapped. The resultant maps were correlated with the bathymetric, hydrographic and aragonite preservation conditions in the investigated area. This study reveals a bathymetric control over the distribution of Limacina inflata, Creseis acicula and Creseis chierchiae across the shelf. Furthermore, a marked difference in vertical salinity gradient from south to north along the shelf appears to have a profound influence on the abundance of these species. The pteropod shells in sediments of the northern offshore region with anoxic bottom conditions are generally well preserved, unlike the southern region, where oxygen concentration of the bottom water is relatively high enough to cause dissolution or even elimination of many shells of the most susceptible pteropods like C. acicula and C. chierchiae. The variation in the intensity of the oxygen minimum zone along the western continental shelf of India has significant influence upon the distribution pattern of Clio convexa.

The spatial extent of hypersaline marine ecosystems is very limited and therefore they have received only little scientific study. Here, we present the status of macrobenthic communities in a hypersaline water body, the Gulf of Salwa (Saudi Arabia part), in the Arabian Gulf and assess the natural stress, if any, in the communities. The Gulf of Salwa is nearly isolated from the main water body of the Arabian Gulf and shows a progressive southward increases in salinity (up to 63 during summer) and temperature (up to 40 °C during summer) due to the southward decrease in tidal flushing. The study reveals that the benthic communities in the southern region (south of 25° 10′ N) of the Gulf of Salwa are under natural stress, while the deeper, the northern, and the inner bay regions have healthier benthic communities than the south. In the southern region, there were 87 to 93% reduction in polychaete species, 49 to 57% reduction in species diversity of polychaetes and 70 to 71% in non-polychaete taxa compared to the northern region. The present study identified some opportunistic taxa such as Fabricia sp., Heteromastus filiformis , Platynereis insolita and Nereis sp. 1 and non-polychaetes such as chironomid larvae, podocops and cumaceans capable of adapting to the hypersaline environment in the Gulf of Salwa when salinity exceeded 60 and temperature exceeded 35 °C during summer.

Because of the increasing oil industry development in the Arabian Gulf, hundreds of oil and gas facilities have been installed in both offshore and inshore areas during the last few decades. However, no studies have been conducted till now on the influence of these platforms on the structure and composition of marine faunal assemblages. The present work addresses this issue to propose environmental management measures connected to the utilization of fishery resources. Offshore and inshore surveys were carried out along the Saudi Gulf waters using trawl and beach-seine nets, respectively. Data relative to only fish (offshore) and fish and invertebrates (inshore) were collected concurrently with several factors: density of oil and gas facilities (offshore), distance to the nearest coastal platform (inshore), oceanographic variables, and habitat characteristics. Results of offshore surveys indicated higher fish density—both total and of fishery resources—in locations with a higher number of oil and gas facilities within a 5 km radius, whereas biomass density was not significantly different. Hence, oil and gas facilities seem to serve as nursery areas for small fish. For inshore communities, more species and diversity were found in stations closer to coastal oil and gas facilities. In addition, among the five coastal embayments sampled, those with more oil and gas facilities had more species. The findings of the present work support the hypothesis of a positive net ecological role of oil and gas platforms of the Saudi Arabian Gulf, with the implication that this effect could be extended to improve the sustainability of important fishery resources.

Three sites offshore of the Saudi Arabia coast in the northern Red Sea were surveyed in November 2012 to search for deep-water coral (DWC) grounds using a Remotely Operated Vehicle. A total of 156 colonies were positively identified between 400 and 760 m, and were represented by seven species belonging to Scleractinia (3), Alcyonacea (3) and Antipatharia (1). The scleractinians Dasmosmilia valida Marenzeller, 1907, Eguchipsammia fistula (Alcock, 1902) and Rhizotrochus typus Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1848 were identified to species level, while the octocorals Acanthogorgia sp., Chironephthya sp., Pseudopterogorgia sp., and the antipatharian Stichopathes sp., were identified to genus level. Overall, the highest abundance of DWC was observed at Site A1, the closest to the coast. The most abundant species in the study area was D. valida, which lives attached to rocky substrates and represented 42% of the total coral population at site A1. Water column attributes at this depth were quite homogenous with temperature ca. 21.6 °C, salinity ca. 40.56, dissolved oxygen ca. 1.75 ml L−1 and current velocity from 0.6 to 34.5 cm s−1 with a mean value of 9.5 cm s−1. Interestingly, these DWC can cope with high temperature and salinity, compared to those in other regions.

The Arabian Sea is characterized by a mid-depth layer of reduced dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration or oxygen minimum zone (OMZ -DO concentration

This study reports the levels of total arsenic and arsenic species in marine biota such as clams ( Meretrix meretrix ; N = 21 ) and pearl oyster ( Pinctada radiata ; N = 5 ) collected from nine costal sites in Jan 2014, and cuttlefish ( Sepia pharaonis ; N = 8 ), shrimp ( Penaeus semisulcatus ; N = 1 ), and seven commercially important finfish species ( N = 23) collected during Apr–May 2013 from seven offshore sites in the western Arabian Gulf. Total As and As species such as dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), arsenobetaine (AB), trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO), arsenocholine (AC), tetramethylarsonium ion (Tetra), arsenosugar-glycerol (As-Gly) and inorganic As (iAs) were determined by using ICPMS and HPLC/ICPMS. In bivalves, the total As concentrations ranged from 16 to 118 mg/kg dry mass; the toxic iAs fraction contributed on average less than 0.8% of the total As, while the nontoxic AB fraction formed around 58%. Total As concentrations for the remaining seafood (cuttlefish, shrimp and finfish) ranged from 11 to 134 mg/kg dry mass and the iAs and AB fractions contributed on average 0.03% and 81% respectively of the total As. There was no significant relationship between the tissue concentrations of total As and iAs in the samples. There was also no significant relationship between As levels in seafood and geographical location or salinity of the waters from which samples were collected. Based on our results, we recommend introducing a maximum permissible level of arsenic in seafood from the Gulf based on iAs content rather than based on total As. Our analyses of cancer risks and non-cancer hazards identified non-negligible risks and the potential for hazards; the greatest risks were identified for expatriate consumers of bivalves and high-end consumers of seafood. Despite this, many uncertainties remain that would be best addressed by further analyses.

The 1991 Gulf oil spill heavily impacted the coastal areas of the Saudi waters of the Arabian Gulf and recent studies have indicated that even 15 years after the incident, macrobenthos had not completely recovered in the sheltered bays in the affected region such as, Manifa Bay. This study investigates the community conditions of macrobenthos in the open waters in one of the impacted areas, Al-Khafji waters, about 14 years after the spill. Diversity measures and community structure analyses indicate a healthy status of polychaete communities. The BOPA index reveals that oil sensitive amphipods were recolonized in the study area. This confirms that the benthic communities of the oil spill impacted area had taken only

Although taxonomic sufficiency (TS) was developed for rapid environmental assessments, it has recently been adopted to study the spatial patterns of macrobenthos in relation to natural environmental gradients. To accept TS as a routine approach in wider benthic studies, it needs to be valid for various taxa and geographically different water masses. This study examined the effects of taxonomic resolution on depth-related multivariate patterns of macrobenthic polychaetes on the western Indian continental shelf. An extensive data set based on samples collected from a wide geographical area (7°–22°N latitudes) covering a large depth gradient (30–200 m) has been analysed. Species level polychaete community data had shown a significant variation between shallow and deeper waters. Our results indicated that generic and family level data also can detect community shifts along a depth gradient in a similar way to species level data. The entire western continental margin (200 m depth) is lying in the oxygen minimum zone (dissolved oxygen −1). This study indicated that family level results were sufficient to document the correlations of low oxygen on macrobenthic polychaetes. This study also tested the effects of transformations on depth-related patterns of polychaetes. In multivariate analyses, transformations play a role in defining the balance between contributions from common and rare species in the measure of similarity of two samples. Our results showed that the type of transformations did not make any prominent differences in the multivariate analyses.

Shallow water bays located in the western Arabian Gulf experience harsh environmental conditions. Some of these bays, including Manifa-Tanajib Bay System (MTBS), were also exposed to the 1991 oil pollution event. This study investigates the status of the macrobenthos in MTBS during 2006. This bay system is characterized by very shallow inner bays with elevated salinity and temperature compared to the rest of the bay area. As a result mainly of the hyper salinity, the inner bay communities are distinct from the outer bay communities. Overall, fairly high species richness with several rare species was observed. High Shannon-Wiener diversity values and ABC plots indicated the healthy status of the polychaete communities, while BOPA index indicated slightly polluted status in 20% of the stations. The oil sensitive amphipods were not completely re-colonized in 20% of the stations, even after 15 years of recovery from the 1991 oil spill.

Taxonomic sufficiency (TS) has been used in impact assessment studies of various pollution effects on marine benthic communities and found appropriate to identify the effects of pollution on marine communities. Cost, in terms of the expertise and time needed to identify organisms, increases with the level of taxonomic accuracy. Recently, TS has been adopted to study spatial patterns of macrobenthic community structure. In order to accept TS as a routine approach in wider benthic studies, it needs to be proved valid for various taxa and in geographically different areas. The present study investigates the value of TS in meiofaunal nematodes by analyzing an extensive data set based on samples collected from a wide geographical area covering a large depth gradient. For this study, samples were collected from every degree square of the western Indian continental shelf (7°–22°N latitudes). Our high resolution data showed that with increase in depth, nematode species richness and diversity decreased and communities showed significant variation between shallow and deeper waters. The present study tests whether lower taxonomic resolution nematode data can explain community shifts along a depth gradient in a similar way to species level data from the same data set. Meiofauna have often been neglected from benthic studies, and most attention has been given to macrofauna. This is mainly due to the difficulty in the taxonomic identification of meiofauna. The results of this study based on univariate and multivariate analyses support the use of family level data of nematodes to explain some aspects of depth variation in a similar way to species level data.

Meiofaunal standing stock and nematode community structure were investigated in the western continental shelf of India by collecting samples from every degree square of the shelf during two cruises of the FORV (Fishery and Oceanographic Research Vessel) Sagar Sampada, conducted in 1998 and 2001. Samples were collected from 30, 50, 100 and 200 m depths using a Smith Mc Intyre grab. Meiofaunal density ranged from 8 Ind. 10 cm−2 to 1208 Ind. 10 cm−2 and biomass from 0.07 mg 10 cm−2 to 6.11 mg 10 cm−2. Nematodes were the dominant meiofaunal group, contributing 88% of the density and 44% of the biomass. Harpacticoid copepods were the second important taxa, contributing 8% of both biomass and density. Altogether, 154 species of nematodes belonging to 28 families were recorded from the study area. Numerically, Desmodora spp., Dorylaimopsis sp., Tricoma spp., Theristus spp. and Halalaimus spp. were the dominant species. In general, there was a decrease in biomass and density of meiofauna and species diversity of nematodes with increase in depth. There was a 67% drop in species number from 51 to 100 m (106 species) to the shelf edge (35 species). Species richness and diversity indices showed consistent decrease with depth. The species dominance index was higher below 150 m depth. ANOSIM (from PRIMER) showed a significant difference between the nematodes of the near shore and shelf edge. Latitudinal variation was observed only in the number of nematode species. Biomass and abundance of nematodes were found to increase from coarse to fine sediment, while copepods showed an opposite trend. Multivariate analyses of nematode communities did not reveal any latitudinal or substratum differences. Variables such as depth, latitude, organic matter (OM) and amount of clay were the most relevant parameters influencing the biomass and density of meiofauna, while depth and temperature were the important parameters explaining the distribution of the nematode communities along the western Indian shelf.