While majoring in marine biology and biotechnology at the Eilat campus of Ben-Gurion University, you never stop thinking about protecting the environment and saving corals
The fish farms in Eilat are being emptied these days and are leaving the sea at an accelerated rate. However, hundreds of coral colonies grow on the ropes used to moor the farms. Most of them are soft corals, but also stony corals and even oysters and other animals. All of these are expected to die when the farms and all related facilities are out by this summer. In order to save these corals, a special nursery was established at a site that is not open to the public, and dozens of coral colonies were transferred to it last weekend (April 11.4.2008, XNUMX). The hope is that these corals will be established in a nursery and at a later stage will be used for planting in a large underwater park that is planned to be built with the participation of Dr. Nadav Shasher from the Marine Biology and Biotechnology program at the Eilat campus.
The operation was conducted in collaboration with the Inter-University Institute and the Shonit Association, under the permit and supervision of the Nature and Parks Authority - Eilat District. In the first step, corals were copied from the fish farm of the Dag-Sof company, and then the corals will be transferred from the Arad company. The first nursery is almost full and it is expected that 3 more such nurseries will be needed in order to absorb all the available corals. Most of the corals transferred are soft corals of the genus Denderonephtia and Scleronephthya whose name in Hebrew is colorful and for good reason.
Dr. Nadav Shesher, from the Marine Biology and Biotechnology major at Ben-Gurion University's Eilat campus, which runs the project: "The attitude we receive from the people at the fish farm is amazing. They help with everything, point to the right places, help with docking points and equipment and always offer a cup of hot coffee at the end of the dive. On Friday we forgot work gloves and if it weren't for the gloves that the farm workers provided us we could have been burned and seriously injured. It could be expected that the farm workers, who are evacuating due to the pressure of the "greens" and the city of Eilat, will oppose all such green actions. However, it is clear that their love for the sea and the beach in it is real and outweighs such personal aspects."
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Well done Nadav! Glad to hear that someone cares about such things. I hope that a high percentage of the transferred hard corals will survive and hope that the nursery is in a deep or shady place. It may not be what will save the reef, but it is certainly another patch that helps in the almost hopeless recovery of the northern Red Sea.
Greetings friends,
Ami Bachar