The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MoCCAE) and Delma Marine Industrial Supply & Marine Services Company (Delma Marine) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to build artificial habitats to ensure the sustainability of the marine environment and step up the development of living aquatic resources in the UAE.
The MoU was signed by His Excellency Dr Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment and His Excellency Ayoub Al Khajah, Director General of Delma Marine.
His Excellency Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi said: “This MOU aims to strengthen the partnership between the government and private sectors and promote the value of social responsibility among private sector companies. Social responsibility is one of the core elements of the ‘Year of Giving’ initiative launched by the UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The MOU is part of the ongoing efforts of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change as well as other concerned environmental authorities in the UAE to ensure the sustainability of our marine environment and livestock.”
Al Zeyoudi added that the MOU aims to support the ‘Artificial Caves Program’ launched by the ministry in 2016 to install 900 artificial caves in select marine areas with the aim of promoting fishing as an occupation and improving the sustainability of fish stock. In addition to strengthening the regulation for fishing as an occupation and minimizing the obstacles in the lives of fishermen, the MOU also mandates increasing the productivity of fish stock and strengthening national food security.
The MoU will facilitate the creation of safe shelters suitable for the proliferation of fish and other marine species. Delma Marine will undertake the manufacturing of 1000 caves using eco-friendly materials and position them in areas identified by the ministry in collaboration with concerned environmental authorities. The first batch of man-made caves is set for completion in April 2017.
Al Zeyoudi expressed his gratitude to Delma Marine for its contribution to the program and said the effort served as a shining example to demonstrate the social responsibility commitment of private sector organizations. He was confident that similar sustained efforts would in turn lead to more constructive partnerships in the implementation of green technology and ensure a productive and sustainable future for generations to come.
For his part, His Excellency Ayoub Al Khajah noted that Delma Marine was delighted to be granted the opportunity to cooperate with the ministry in preserving fish stock in the UAE and said: “At Delma Marine, we are always keen to support sustainable development efforts through applying the latest eco-friendly solutions and advanced technologies to raise capacity in protecting the environment. We seek to do our bit in contributing to support the directives of the federal and local government authorities towards spreading the culture of sustainability and promoting the green economy.”